Watch the Tape: Florida Gators

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If the 2020-2021 season taught the Big Blue Nation anything, it was to be grateful for the good times.

Therefore, it is important to take a step back now that the regular season is over and appreciate what the Kentucky Wildcats brought to the court this year. A 25-6 overall record with a 14-4 Southeastern Conference mark should not be taken for granted. The ‘Cats finished off the regular-season schedule on Saturday afternoon with a 71-63 win over the Florida Gators in Gainesville.

Part of appreciating a great season comes with understanding that basketball games are essentially played in a vacuum. There are ups and downs from game to game. Sometimes your defense falters or your offense goes a long stretch without scoring. Those issues are why you break down film, spend countless hours practicing, and prepare for each game.

However, once the ball is tipped, the only thing that matters is winning. Kentucky has done that at a really high level this season. It hasn’t always been pretty. For example, the Wildcats scored just one field goal in the final six minutes against the Gators, but they won by eight points on the road. Now tournament basketball is here and the importance of winning is obviously magnified. The ‘Cats have nine more opportunities this season to have more points on the scoreboard than their opponent. Welcome to March Madness!

In today’s edition of Watch the Tape, we are going to dive into some of the strengths Kentucky displayed down at Exactech Arena. Early in the game, they were having a lot of success pushing the pace and scoring in transition. That will need to continue to be a staple through the SEC Tournament and beyond. Also, the defense returned to form with an all-around great performance holding the Gators in check. Finally, we will break down the game-changing plays that Sahvir Wheeler brings to the table. Let’s step inside the film and look back at Kentucky’s win over the Florida Gators.

Kentucky played their final seven games of the regular season under 70 possessions. After flirting with a Top 100 tempo, per KenPom, for much of the season, they have fallen to 166th over the last month. There hasn’t been a dip in success, or even in raw scoring numbers really, but it still is worth noting. However, the Wildcats showed that they still are one of the best transition offenses in college basketball early on against the Florida Gators. Kentucky put up 30 points by the third media timeout and was on their way to a blowout. Let’s take a look at some of those transition opportunities.

Kentucky set the pace from their very first possession of the game. Keion Brooks secured a tough rebound and got the outlet pass to Sahvir Wheeler to start the fast break. Wheeler moved the ball ahead to TyTy Washington who had a driving lane to the rim from the right-wing. Throwing the ball ahead when you have a 3-point shot or a layup is always a great move. Wheeler to Washington is a potent transition duo.

Dictating the pace of play can start on the defensive end as well. After the initial made basket, highlighted above, Wheeler picked up full court and got #22 Appleby sped up with the ball. Appleby dribbled the ball off his knee, Brooks stepped in for a deflection, and Wheeler scooped up the loose ball. Once again, the ‘Cats were off on the break. Wheeler to Washington to Brooks for a slam gave Kentucky a quick 4-0 lead over the Florida Gators.

Davion Mintz was described as a “dagger thrower” last season by Coach Calipari. He has lived up to that nickname this year as well with some big-time 3-point shots in important moments. The type of shot you see in this clip is the definition of a dagger. Kentucky gets a stop, Sahvir Wheeler takes just one dribble before throwing the ball up the sideline, and then Mintz nails a 3-pointer from the wing. That is three points in a matter of just a few seconds. It is nearly impossible for opposing teams to keep up with that sort of pace.

Excellent Defensive Performance

The demise of Kentucky’s defense was greatly exaggerated. After a couple of less than perfect games on that end of the floor, the Wildcats responded with one of their best defensive performances of the season on Saturday afternoon. The Florida Gators were held to 3-23 shooting from beyond the arc, scored just 26 points in the first half, and shot below 40% for the game. Let’s look at some of the most impressive clips from the game.

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It is clear that closeouts have been a point of emphasis recently by the coaching staff. That focus paid dividends in Gainesville as Kentucky was able to hold the Florida Gators to just 3-23 shooting from deep. The Wildcats showcased a high level of urgency when closing out to shooters which led to high percentages shooters such as #0 Jones, #22 Appleby, and #14 Reeves combining to go just 1-15. This closeout by Davion Mintz is a perfect example. He is right there on the catch and has two hands in the face of the shooter at the time of release.

Kentucky has some really good individual defenders on this team. However, the sum of the whole is definitely greater than the individual parts. This clip showcases a wide variety of good defensive plays by all five players on the floor. You have early on-ball pressure, good switches off the ball, aggressive help, and an excellent closeout to end the possession. When you can put together 30 seconds like this you won’t get scored on very often.

Here is another excellent team defensive possession by the Wildcats. Outside of allowing 14 seconds chance points on 10 offensive rebounds, the ‘Cats really locked up the Florida Gators for 40 minutes. Sahvir Wheeler does a good job of denying #22 Appleby, Jacob Toppin was excellent on the ball, Kellan Grady had a great closeout, and the possession ends with a rebound on the tie-up. This is championship-level defense.

Sahvir Wheeler is a Game-Changer

Kentucky simply looks different, both offensively and defensively, when Sahvir Wheeler is in the game. His on-ball pressure sets the tone for everything defensively in the same way that his pace and play-making ability does offensively. Wheeler came up with a couple of big buckets down the stretch when the Wildcats desperately needed some offense. Early in the game, he got the ‘Cats going with some transition scoring opportunities. He has done a great job all season long as the engine to the car of this team.

Two different times against the Florida Gators Sahvir Wheeler was able to create a transition opportunity after a made basket. This is something he has done throughout the season for Kentucky. You can see in the clip that Florida’s defense is not ready for Wheeler to get into the scoring area so quickly. He gets all the way into the paint unguarded, kicks out to an open Kellan Grady, and the Wildcats get a quick and easy three points.

Similar to the last clip, this once again shows Wheeler creating quick offense after a Florida made basket. Oscar Tshiebwe does a great job, as he always does, of sprinting to the front of the rim and starts sealing his man. Wheeler is able to get a good passing angle and enters it to the big man for a slam. It isn’t often that you can get what essentially is a rim-run opportunity after a made basket. That is the brilliance of Sahvir Wheeler.

Wheeler is an absolute pest on the defensive end. He can steal a possession or two per game with plays like this that very few players in college basketball can make. His quickness and constant energy get the steal here on a lazy inbounds pass. The baseline drive by Wheeler also opens up the ball reversal and eventual floater from Kellan Grady.