What to know: #13 Florida Gators basketball at #11 Kentucky
Game Information
When: Saturday, February 25, 2017 at 2 p.m. (ET)
Where: Rupp Arena, Lexington, Ky.
Records: Florida (23-5, 13-2 SEC); Kentucky (23-5, 13-2 SEC)
Coaches: Mike White- 44-20 (2nd season at Florida), 145-60 (6th season overall); John Calipari- 240-52 (8th season at Kentucky), 643-190 (25th season overall)
TV: CBS
Streaming: CBS Sports App
Radio: Gator IMG Sports Network
Projected Starters
Florida | Pos. | Ht. | Wt. | Class | Per Game |
Devin Robinson | F | 6-8 | 200 | Junior | 11.2 pts / 5.8 reb |
Justin Leon | F | 6-8 | 206 | Senior | 7.1 pts / 3.8 reb |
kevarrius hayes | C | 6-9 | 218 | Sophomore | 6.4 pts / 4.1 reb |
Kasey hill | G | 6-1 | 175 | Senior | 9.7 pts / 4.9 asts |
Kevaughn allen | G | 6-2 | 183 | Sophomore | 13.6 pts / 2.6 reb |
kentucky | Pos. | Ht. | Wt. | Class | Per Game |
edrice adebayo | F | 6-10 | 260 | Freshman | 13.0 pts / 7.4 reb |
wenyen gabriel | F | 6-9 | 213 | Freshman | 5.9 pts / 5.7 reb |
de’aaron fox | G | 6-3 | 187 | Freshman | 15.5 pts / 5.7 asts |
malik monk | G | 6-3 | 200 | Freshman | 21.1 pts / 2.5 reb |
isaiah briscoe | G | 6-3 | 210 | Sophomore | 13.5 pts / 5.4 reb |
Preview
Since losing to Florida 88-66 a few weeks back, Kentucky has righted the ship and is on a five-game winning streak. The streak includes wins at Alabama, Georgia, and Kentucky. Georgia was the most recent team to put the Wildcats’ streak at risk, as the game came down to the wire and Kentucky held on for an 82-77 victory in the final minutes.
Florida continues to ride its winning streak that has made its way up to nine in a row. The Gators now sit at 23 wins so far this season, which is a milestone that has only been reached 10 times in Florida history.
Most recently, the Gators defeated South Carolina at home 81-66. KeVaughn Allen went off for 26 points in the game for his second-highest scoring total of the season. Half of his points came from the free-throw line as he went 13-for-14.
The Wildcats sit at the top of the SEC in several categories, including scoring offense (88.2), field goal percentage (.482) and rebounding (40.6).
Malik Monk leads the way on offense with 21.1 points per game. De’Aaron Fox (15.5), Isaiah Briscoe (13.5) and Edrice Adebayo (13.) all fall in behind averaging double-digits this season. Monk is the top three-point shooter (.409, 85-for-208), while Fox has a team-leading 144 assists.
On defense, the Wildcats are led by Adebayo, who pulls down 7.4 rebounds per game and has 26 blocks this season.
The Gators are 38-99 all-time against the Wildcats and just 9-50 in Lexington. Florida looks to get just its fifth season sweep in the history of the series. The last time the two teams played, Florida held Kentucky to its lowest scoring total of the season and held a 54-29 edge over the top rebounding team in the conference.
Four different Gators put up double digits in the game, led by Kasey Hill’s 21 points. Fox led the Wildcats with 19 points. Monk, Kentucky’s leading scorer, had just 11, with all of his points coming in the second half of play.
Florida will have a much tougher task at hand than it did earlier in the season. There is a lot on the line for both teams coming into this game. The outcome on Saturday will likely decide the SEC regular season title, something Kentucky has held for the last two seasons after the Gators took the title in the 2012-13 and 2013-14 seasons.