Gators dominated on the road at No. 5 Kentucky

The Gators men’s basketball team suffered its worst loss of the season Saturday, falling 78-57 against No. 5 Kentucky in Rupp Arena.

The Wildcats snapped Florida’s four game winning streak and put UF at 6-6 in conference play. The Gators last lost a game by 21 points in 2018 at Florida State, 81-60. 

Kentucky jumped out to a 20-6 lead, but UF was able to cut the deficit to one and trailed by five at the break. The Wildcats opened the second half on a 13-2 run, and it was all downhill from there.

“That was the biggest MO at halftime because we were able to string some stops together, play good defense, which is what we pride ourselves on,” Florida forward Colin Castleton said. “And we got demolished today on the defensive end in the second half.”

One of the big issues UF faced was losing point guard Tyree Appleby just 6:30 into the first half. He reaggravated a thigh bruise and wasn’t able to remain in the game after returning briefly in the second half.

An upset Saturday would have been a huge quadrant one victory for the Gators, who have been on the bubble for the NCAA tournament all season. However, the Wildcats dominated most areas of the game and had Rupp Arena rockin’.

“This is a tough place to play, and it was electric in here,” Florida head coach Mike White said. “That volume can drain you a little bit. It got really loud, and Kentucky’s really good. I mean, this is a team that’s got a chance to win the whole thing, in my opinion.”

Tshiebwe dominates down low

Florida forward Colin Castleton posted 18 points and seven rebounds, but it was not enough against Kentucky forward Oscar Tshiebwe.

Castleton admittedly had trouble against Tshiebwe in the paint. 

“Usually, when he gets it, he’s right around the rim. So it’s like a shot put or like a volleyball tap. It’s just right there, and he just puts it right back up and he does a good job of that,” Castleton said. “He’s probably one of the best rebounders, like, probably the best rebounder I’ve ever played against. So yeah, that’s his skillset. That’s what he’s good at.” .

The midseason Wooden Award watch list player hit 11-of-18 field goals, scoring 27 points with 19 rebounds. Ten of those rebounds came on offense, while the Gators had just five offensive boards as a team.

“None better than this one by Oscar,” White said. “Defensively, obviously. Scored 11-of-18, drew fouls. I mean, we got five offensive rebounds as a team, and he got 10. That’s unbelievable. He’s a phenomenal player.”

What went wrong for Gators

The Gators shot the ball relatively well, but finished with 51 total attempts compared to the Wildcats’ 67 shots. Many were second-chance opportunities from UK’s dominant rebounding performance.

Kentucky outrebounded Florida 41-25, and 18 of those boards were on the offensive glass. 

The Wildcats did not give UF many opportunities to get to the free throw line, which has been crucial for the Gators’ success in recent games. They attempted just six foul shots and made them all, but not nearly enough.

UF couldn’t find another consistent scorer either, as Castleton was the only Gator to finish in double figures.

Florida had difficulty getting guard Myreon Jones involved, as Kentucky limited his opportunities to take shots from beyond the arc. He only got up three 3-point attempts and made two of them. 

It’ll be a quick turnaround for the Gators, who will look to get back above .500 in SEC play with a Tuesday night matchup at Texas A&M.