Florida Knows UK Won’t Lose Often If They Play Like They Did Saturday

Vicky Graff Photo

Florida coach Todd Golden certainly was not happy that his team lost for the first time this season at Kentucky but he also understood the 106-100 loss to UK was not all bad.

Florida outrebounded UK 38-30 and got 31 second-chance points off 15 offensive boards. The Gators also got to the foul line 35 times compared to 24 for Kentucky.  Guards Walter Clayton and Alijah Martin combined for 59 points and went 11-for-24 from 3-point range.

Golden also understood just how well Kentucky played.

“They will not lose many games if they play as efficiently as that,” the Florida coach said after UK shot 57.8 percent (37 of 64) from the field and made 14 of 29 3-pointers thanks to Koby Brea going 7-for-9. “I thought they did a great job taking advantage of the moment. They played very well offensively.

“There are some things that you are going to break down on and not guard great, especially with the different things they do offensively.”

Kentucky had 25 assists on 37 made field goals with Lamont Butler dishing out eight assists and big men Amari Williams and Andrew Carr having five apiece. Kentucky also had six players score in double figures and made just six turnovers, one reason it had a 20-4 advantage in points off turnovers.

“We are 25 assists to six turnovers against the No. 1 half-court defensive team in the country,” Kentucky coach Mark Pope said. “That is insane. I am so incredibly proud of our guys for trying so hard to learn how we play and doing it together. From all the incredible numbers in this game, that 25-6 is amazing.”

ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Bilas thought Clemson and Ohio State bothered Kentucky with physicality in the only two games the Cats have lost.

“They are going to continue to see that. I think that is the thing that will please him (Pope) the most today is how they handled that,” Bilas said.

“It’s a beautiful thing, this league. Tonight, it’s on the glass. On Tuesday it’s going to be something else that’s really exploited. This league is going to needle any space where you are not the best in the country,” Pope said. “Florida is the second-best rebounding team in the country right now.  

“We hung in there is probably the best way we can say it.  Also, the last six games, the number one analytical half-court defense in the entire country and our guys were 25 assists and six turnovers.  That number is insane.  Twenty-five assists, six turnovers against the number one defensive team in the half-court in the country over the last six games, that’s crazy.  

“It’s what you want, you just want to go against the biggest challenge, you want to go against the best teams.  Undefeated teams, what are they ranked?  Six, seven, five something?  Another top 10 matchup.  It just makes you get better.”

While Pope knows rebounding issues are legitimate, he’s ready to “figure out some different things schematically and habit-wise” that his team can do starting with Tuesday’s game at Georgia.

“The one thing I’m not worried about is our guys fight,” Pope said.

He’s confident his players are learning they have to be more physical and SEC play will have “a life or death fight on the boards” every game.

“We learned that we are going to have to be really creative changing the way that we guard throughout the game.  Which our guys, our players were unbelievable in receiving adjustments during the course of the game,” Pope said.

“And we are learning how fun this is.  I think that’s the overwhelming thing for us is we only get to do this 17 more times.  We just can’t waste a minute man.  I hope BBN doesn’t miss a second of it.  It’s going to be great times and hard times and they are all going to be growing times and that’s why it’s so fun to play in this league.”