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Kentucky Wildcats get spanked by Florida Gators: Takeaways, Box Score and Postgame Banter

The Cats take a beating in their final game before postseason play.

NCAA Basketball: Kentucky at Florida Matt Stamey-USA TODAY Sports

Well, that is not how the Kentucky Wildcats wanted to end the season.

They lost to the Florida Gators with a score of 80-67. After a disarray of a game, the Cats have to make sure they come back in a big way next week.

Here are three things to know:

Florida came out hot and stayed hot on senior day.

It seemed like Florida couldn’t miss a shot during the game. Throughout, there were plenty of crazy threes and vicious drives to the basket. Kentucky had no answer for any of it, and they failed to match their offensive intensity. In what was an emotional day for the gators, each senior made the presence felt in a big way.

The gators started the second half on fire. They Didn’t miss a shot until the 14 minute mark, shooting six for six from the field. Florida outplayed the cats in every facet of the game today.

The first half turnovers put Kentucky in a huge hole.

It seemed like Kentucky didn’t want the ball in the first half. Florida forced nine turnovers from the cats and managed to take advantage of nearly every single one, scoring 14 points.

When you give a team that can shoot as well as Florida can multiple opportunities, they’re going to capitalize. Kentucky didn’t play bad on offense, they just put themselves in too big of a hole to where they couldn’t quite escape.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was the MVP this year, and proved it today.

This team would be nowhere without the play of SGA the season. He’s continued to make a big play after big play, and he’s the most reliable player on the team. Today, he had 17 points while he directed the wildcat offense all game.

Even though this was a bad loss for UK, Shai was the only reason the Cats were able to pull within 8 at one point. If Kentucky is going to do anything in the tournament, it’s going to be on the shoulders of SGA.

There’s no question this game was a dud, but it doesn’t mean that the season is over. In fact, it’s just begun. It’s now time for the SEC tournament. Hopefully, the Cats bounce back in St. Louis.

Here is the final box score:

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