Gators fail in upset bid against No. 2 Wildcats

Closing out the game on a 17-5 run after being tied at 72 late in the second half, the No. 2 Kentucky Wildcats (17-0) stormed the Stephen C. O’Connell Center, taking down the Florida Gators (11-5) 89-77 in Gainesville, FL.

Kentucky freshman guard Eric Bledsoe scored a game-high 25 points on 10-13 shooting while going 3-of-4 from beyond the arc. He added seven rebounds and five assists as fellow freshman G John Wall accounted for 19 points and six dishes. Junior forward Patrick Patterson dominated the paint with 15 points and seven rebounds, sharing the block with freshman F DeMarcus Cousins (13 points, five boards) and freshman F Daniel Orton, who controlled the post with nine rebounds and four blocks.

Florida was ice cold from downtown in the first half, though junior F Alex Tyus did make two treys (the first and second of his career) before halftime; he finished with 17 points and a team-high seven rebounds. Sophomore G Erving Walker was 4-for-9 from three with four assists, scoring the majority of his 20 points in the second half. Freshman G Kenny Boynton finished with 12 points on 5-of-17 shooting while senior F Dan Werner was an abysmal 0-4 from beyond the arc with six rebounds.

A seven-point halftime deficit turned into a seemingly insurmountable 15-point hole for the Gators, but a red-hot Walker combined with a ferocious Tyus knotted the game at 72 with five minutes left in the game. After a alley-oop completed by Wall, Florida unraveled and allowed the Wildcats to pick them apart in front of the Rowdy Reptiles.

Now 0-2 in Southeastern Conference play, the Gators hope to right some wrongs on Saturday when they host the LSU Tigers at 8 p.m. The game will air live on FSN.