A bitter trend that has haunted the Gators over and over again reared its ugly head on Saturday as the Gators once again blew a significant second half lead, causing them to lose 71-70 to the rival Kentucky Wildcats. Florida built a lead to 18 points partway through the second half, only to have it slowly slip through their fingers as the Wildcats methodically made their way back into the ball game. With just under 11 seconds remaining a tip-in put the Wildcats ahead and after the fouling game worked in the Gators’ favor they had a slim opportunity to win, inbounding the ball under their own hoop with 3 seconds remaining. They ended up getting a decent look at a Nembhard three for the win, but the 35-foot prayer spilled out after bouncing around the rim for what seemed like an eternity. Unfortunately, blowing second half leads has been a common trend for the Gators and their inability to put games on ice was once again their downfall.
Defense Lapses
One of the big reasons Kentucky was able to storm back in the second half was the Gators’ confusing dedication to a 3-2 zone, a defensive look the Wildcats were getting anything they wanted in. Nick Richards did most of his work (19 points) in the second half against that zone, as a simple cross screen set by the Wildcats allowed him to catch the ball right under the hoop and finish or get fouled. Another problem with the zone was that with no designated block-out assignments the Gators struggled mightily trying to defensively rebound and Kentucky grabbed an astounding 11 offensive rebounds in the second. Florida has been a drastically better defensive team in man defense than zone this season and their dedication to sticking with the zone while it was getting picked apart was curious.
Blackshear Injury
There was a scary situation early in the game where Kerry Blackshear Jr. landed awkwardly, bending his wrist back in an uncommon way that was difficult to watch. He returned to the bench with his wrist wrapped and with a big bag of ice, and never returned. The loss to Kentucky where the Gators could have had a major resume-boosting win is unfortunate, but this injury could be even worse. There is no word on the severity of the injury yet, but Florida’s future is in serious jeopardy if it’s bad.
Lewis Stepping Up
Scottie Lewis had a career-high 19 points, most of them coming in the first half helping the Gators accumulate a solid lead. Most of his buckets came on intelligent drives to the hoop where he recognized where a closeout was coming from before attacking the weak foot of the defender, getting in the paint, playing off two feet, and then finishing. Outside of Keyontae Johnson the Gators haven’t had enough penetration from the wings but against Kentucky they got that production from Lewis, especially in the first half, and if he can keep that going the Gators’ offense will look a lot better.
Payne Is Back
With Blackshear getting injured the Gators were forced to get Omar Payne back in the rotation after he had fallen out of favor with the coaching staff. As soon as he got in the game he made his presence felt, playing with tons of energy and finishing with 6 points, 3 rebounds, and a spectacular 5 blocks. Payne brings rim protection the Gators don’t get from anyone else on the roster and his 5 blocks wiped a lot of near-certain points off the board.
Takeaways
Unfortunately, at this point the Gators blowing a big lead in the second half can’t be a shock and isn’t anything new. The decision to stay in the zone while Kentucky dominated it repeatedly was a surprising one, and likely the biggest reason Kentucky was able to get back in the ball game. Florida’s offense did run cold with a 3 and a half minute drought late in the second, but it was really their defense that let Kentucky shoot 47% from the field that was the biggest issue. This won’t matter a ton in the SEC standings as the Gators will still almost certainly get the double bye, but it’s the NCAA Tournament resume that really lost today. It’s not like this was a bad loss for the Gators, but it would have been a valuable win that could have opened up the possibility for them to get as high as a 7 or even a 6 seed if they performed well in the SEC Tournament. Now, it’s looking like they’ll almost certainly find themselves in an 8-9 game.