Hot start allows Kentucky to survive grinder against Florida

No team in the SEC plays at a slower pace than Florida. For the second time this season, John Calipari’s Kentucky team seemed more than willing to play the game at a snail’s pace in the SEC finale.

In the 71-63 win by the Wildcats, there were only 62 possessions in the game with 31 coming in each half. That was after the first meeting with the Gators at Rupp Arena that featured just 59 possessions. Despite being a team that plays with pace, Kentucky has gotten into grind-out mode a lot over the last two weeks as March Madness officially arrives.

Before diving into SEC Tournament scenarios, KSR is diving into the box and pulling the numbers from the win as Kentucky completed another season sweep of Florida. Calipari’s team has won four in a row in The O’Dome.

Grind out mode

As the game entered the under-12 media timeout in the first half, Kentucky held a 30-16 lead following a 17-8 blitz in the previous segment. The game was on a 73-possession pace, and all signs pointed to a blowout win for the Wildcats.

From there, the game slowed down to a possession-by-possession affair where each team was trying to grind out scores. Kentucky would score just 41 points in the next 40 possession as Florida outscored the Wildcats by six points from that point forward.

The Wildcats got lulled into playing Florida’s game, and things got much too close for comfort as the clock approached triple zeroes in the second half.

If Calipari is committed to having his team play like this in March, expect more uncomfortable finishes as this team is just not at their best when forced to grind out possessions on both offense and defense.

Defense progresses but still allows huge individual night

In the previous six games, Kentucky has seen an individual opponent go off. Keon Ellis, Xavier Pinson, JD Notae, and Matthew Murrell all went for 25-plus points as the Wildcats allowed over a point per possession in each game.

The same thing happened again against Florida, but this time it was from a post player.

Colin Castleton went for 23 points and 11 rebounds on 19 field goal attempts as the Gators averaged 1.02 points per possession.

Kentucky made some positive steps forward by shutting down the perimeter game and holding a bad three-point shooting team to 3 of 20 from deep, but it’s clear that this Kentucky team has some defensive holes and simply isn’t built to win games on this side of the floor.

If Kentucky goes on a run in March, the offense will need to lead the way, but Saturday was a good step forward for the defense.

Keion Brooks Jr. struggles

In their best performance of the year against Kansas, the Wildcats throttled the Jayhawks on the road. In that game, Keion Brooks Jr. looked like the best player on the floor for most of the night as the junior went for 27 points and eight rebounds scoring from multiple levels and making plays above the rim. Bill Self’s team simply had no answers for him.

At times, Brooks can look elite. His 18 points and eight rebounds against Alabama allowed a shorthanded Kentucky to gut out a win. When UK made a run against Arkansas, it was Brooks who made some big offensive plays in transition. However, too many times, Brooks disappears on the court.

For the second time this season against Florida, the former top-25 recruit scored just two points. In the 15 minutes Brooks was on the floor, Florida outscored Kentucky by 12. A late turnover on an inbound pass by the junior gave Florida chance to cut the lead to one possession with just under a minute left.

For Kentucky to cut the nets in either Tampa or New Orleans, Kentucky will need better play from No. 12.

Stats that stood out

• The National Player of the Year race is over. On Saturday, Oscar Tshiebwe went for 27 points, 15 rebounds, three steals, and two blocks. The junior has been a dominant force throughout the season and is the best player in college basketball. Sorry, Johnny Davis.
• Sahvir Wheeler becoming a consistent scorer for Kentucky again could be a great development. The junior point guard went for 13 points in the win and also dished out four assists. Wheeler poured in another three as the Georgia transfer finished SEC play shooting 43.5 percent from behind the arc.
• However, TyTy Washington is struggling. The freshman scored just six points with one made field goal on six field goal attempts. Since returning from the injury against Florida, Washington is averaging just 8.5 points per game on 33.3 percent shooting. Kentucky will need a more efficient Washington in the tournament.