LEXINGTON, Ky. — Was Tuesday night’s overtime win over Georgia a turning point or another alarm bell for Kentucky basketball, which dropped its previous games to Tennessee and Kansas? The Wildcats will find out Saturday night at Florida.
It would help if starting point guard De’Aaron Fox and key reserve Mychal Mulder get back in time to face the Gators, and if their illnesses haven’t taken out any more teammates this week. Winning at the “O Dome” is a tall order even at full strength.
“I would say it’s probably the hardest place to play,” senior Derek Willis said. “You get I the gym and the fans are right up on top of you. It’s just a hard environment to play in. With College GameDay being there, too, it’s going to make it that much more tough.”
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Kentucky lost three of its past six games in Gainesville (2011, 2013, 2014) and at one point recently lost 4-of-5 overall in the series. But the Cats won 5 consecutive games against Florida, including their past two on the road, and are 99-37 in the all-time results. John Calipari teams beat the Gators 14-of-19 tries.
Florida is warming up, though. It has 3-game winning streak that includes a blowout at Oklahoma and an average margin of victory of 35.3 points. Of the Gators’ 5 losses this season, 4 were to Top 25 teams in Ken Pomeroy’s rankings: No. 1 Gonzaga, No. 13 Duke, No. 15 Florida State and No. 22 South Carolina.
“They’re a very good team. They have experience. They have athleticism. They have size,” UK assistant Joel Justus said. “When you have experienced guards in college basketball, that always helps you. When you have guys that have been through the wards of the SEC, that helps you.
“They have great fan support (but) I think it’s a tough place to play because of the guys that are in the uniforms. That has a little bit more to do with it than the fans or arena.”
Kentucky basketball vs. Florida game time, details
Date: Saturday, Feb. 4
Time: 8:15 p.m. ET
Location: Stephen F. O’Connell Center (10,133), Gainesville, Fla.
Vegas Line: Kentucky by 2
What TV channel is Kentucky basketball vs. Florida on?
The game will be broadcast on ESPN (DirecTV channel 206, DISH channel 140, Time Warner channel 27/753 HD).
How can I watch Kentucky basketball vs. Florida online?
You can stream the game on ESPN3.com or with the WatchESPN app on mobile devices. Follow along with live stats at UKAthletics.com and our live blog at SEC Country.
Who is calling the Kentucky basketball game vs. Florida?
Play-by-play by Dan Shulman, analysis by Jay Bilas, sideline reporting by Maria Taylor.
How can I listen to Kentucky basketball vs. Florida?
Play-by-play by Tom Leach, analysis by Mike Pratt on Sirius 93, XM 190 and AM-630 in Lexington.
PROJECTED STARTERS
No. 8 Kentucky (18-4, 8-1 SEC)
G-De’Aaron Fox (6-3, Fr.): 15.9 ppg, 5.7 apg, 4.4 rpg
G-Malik Monk (6-3, Fr.): 22.4 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 2.3 apg
G-Isaiah Briscoe (6-3, So.): 14.5 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 4.5 apg
F-Derek Willis (6-9, Sr.): 7.4 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 1.0 bpg
F-Bam Adebayo (6-10, Fr.): 13.3 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 1.7 bpg
TOP RESERVES – F Wenyen Gabriel, 6-9, Fr., 5.7 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 1.0 bpg; C Isaac Humphries, 7-0, So., 3.5 ppg, 3.7 rpg; G Dominique Hawkins, 6-0, Sr., 3.2 ppg, 2.0 apg.
No. 24 Florida (17-5, 7-2)
G-Kasey Hill (6-1, Sr.): 9.4 ppg, 4.9 apg, 1.9 spg
G-KeVaughn Allen (6-2, So.): 13.6 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 40.3% threes
F-Devin Robinson (6-8, Jr.): 11.8 ppg, 5.7 rpg
F-Justin Leon (6-8, Sr.): 6.5 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 41.3% threes
C-John Egbunu (6-11, Jr.): 7.7 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 1.4 bpg
TOP RESERVES – G Canyon Barry, 6-6, Sr., 12.8 ppg, 3.4 rpg; F Kevarrius Hayes, 6-9, So., 6.3 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 1.4 bpg; G Chris Chiozza, 6-0, Jr., 5.3 ppg, 3.8 apg, 2.8 rpg.
STORYLINES
* Was Georgia a turning point? Or was it another reason to be worried? “De’Aaron was out, Sacha was out, we had another starter get in foul trouble early on,” Justus said. “Then we get down double digits and we stay down double digits. Those are all learning experiences that, as we’re growing as a basketball team, you have to look back on that. You had to feel good about that, what we did the other night. I don’t think anyone around here is looking at that as a bad thing. It taught us lessons, and at this point in the season, wins or losses, you’re going for lessons learned.”
* So how good is Kentucky? That’s a loaded question. “We’re just kind of in a little tough spot, but we know what to do,” Willis said. “All of our fixes, I feel like they’re simple. I stand by my statement that we’re the most talented team in the nation, and we can go as far as we want to carry ourselves. But like I said, we’ve just got to crack down on some things.”
* Hitting a wall? Maybe it’s this bug that’s going around the team, or maybe just the grind of games piling up now, but some believe Kentucky’s young players have run out of energy. “I’m not sure what that might look like or feel like,” Justus said. “What we’re concerned with as assistant coaches and as a staff is that we’re doing everything that we can to put our guys in a position to be successful every day. You’re (asking), ‘Are we getting the right amount of rest? Are we getting the right amount of food? Are we getting the right amount of treatment?’ and controlling the things that we can control.”
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