Kentucky caught fire from the gate, but lost its strength on the piece.
On what was Senior Day at Rupp Arena, the Wildcats fell against the Florida Gators with a final score of 71-67. Kentucky took a 26-16 lead halfway through the first half when they started the afternoon 7-11 from the floor. However, the ‘Cats would only shoot 12-37 the rest of the way, as Florida surpassed them by five in the second half to sneak away with the win.
Davion Mintz led the way for Kentucky, casting in 21 points on 7-14 shooting and a perfect 5-5 from the free-throw line. Three of his Wildcat teammates also finished in double digits, while BJ Boston (13 points), Isaiah Jackson (11) and Jacob Toppin (11) helped fill the scoring gaps. Free throws kept Kentucky alive the entire time, as they finished 25-29 off the charity line.
When Florida applied zone defense in the second half, the Kentucky attack stalled more than a few times. Great Britain experienced multiple droughts lasting more than three minutes, flipping the ball a total of 15 times and pouring out just seven dimes. Missed opportunities, including a 1-11 from distance in the second half, led the ‘Cats to try and fight out of a hole that turned out to be too deep.
Kentucky shot 9-27 overall in the last 20 minutes of action while Florida went 10-19. Tre Mann was the engine for Florida, scoring 21 points when the Gators shot more than 52 percent from the floor and 47 percent from outside the arc. The ‘Cats now fall to 7-8 in the SEC and further away from a potential doppelganger for the upcoming conference tournament.