It was a tight game for 40 minutes but ultimately the Gators held on for a 71-67 win over the Kentucky Wildcats. The game was so close, in fact, that the 4-point margin in the end was actually Florida’s biggest lead of the game, showing just how tight it was and how the two groups of talented players exchanged blows. Scoring was the name of the game in the first half as both teams were getting open shots at will but the second stanza was much tighter on the defensive end and it became a game of who could make shots against stout defenses. In the end, that was Tre Mann, Tyree Appleby, and the Gators.
Staying Hot
Tre Mann has been playing like the future NBA player he likely is and he proved himself once again against Kentucky finishing with 21 points, 8 rebounds, and an assist. Not only did he stack up a bunch of points, but several of his shots came in the biggest moments of the game. At 6’5” and with great balance and touch to shoot off the dribble he is built for taking and making big shots and that’s just what he did against Kentucky with a jumper that hit nothing but net from the left baseline. Mann is one of the most potent scorers in the country and when he’s on there isn’t much defenses can do to prevent him from getting loose. His 8 rebounds were also massive as the Gators were in tough trying to defensively rebound against an energetic and tall Kentucky front line. Mann is a fantastic basketball player who is playing his best ball of the season right now which is just what you want from your leaders.
In The Zone
Florida played more zone defense in this game than any other this season and it had mixed results. In the first half Kentucky was tearing it apart, getting to seams and generating open look after open look on their way to one of their best offensive halves of the season. The Gators tightened it up a bit in the second, but the zone was vulnerable to giving up offensive rebounds. It did force some turnovers and some misses from the Wildcats being confused by it, but it seems like whenever Florida goes to the zone it’s a bit of a knuckleball that might strike their opponent out, or get hit out of the park for a grand slam. Right now the Gators are struggling defensively on the whole so this style of boom or bust defense might be what they need to employ.
The Little Things
Something that might go underrated but was a big part of Florida closing the game out was a 14-16 performance from the free throw line. College basketball games can always get dicey when inexperienced players start missing key free throws but that wasn’t the case for Florida as they hit all the big ones they needed to, whether it was free throws to stretch a lead from a one possession to two possession game or the front end of a one and one. Florida is shooting 75% from the charity stripe this season, good for 52nd in the country, and on Saturday they showed why that is so important.
Bringing The Energy
The Gators started the late afternoon game a bit flat but what got them going was an energetic performance by Anthony Duruji. He had 4 monster dunks, and almost had two more, and each one fired up the Florida bench. Kentucky is a long, athletic team but Duruji might have still been the most athletic player on the floor as was evidenced by his ability to get slams. Duruji is an important player for the Gators as they don’t have too many options at power forward and a nice game against Kentucky should be huge for his confidence.
Final Thoughts
This was a solid win for the Gators who could ill-afford a questionable loss, and the fact they held on in a tight game should be a building moment for a team that hasn’t always performed well in the clutch. The Gators next have a challenging but winnable game against Missouri, and right now Florida is playing for seeding and could use a win like that.