Kentucky Basketball Needs a Good Performance Against Florida
Kentucky Basketball looks to add to their win total with a conference matchup with the Florida Gators.
Kentucky Basketball fans can remember the game against Florida vividly. The Wildcats traveled to Gainesville on February 4, 2017, only to return to Lexington carrying the weight of a 22 point defeat on their shoulders. It is no secret that this young Kentucky team has had their struggles, but the Cats need a big performance against the Gators to solidify their value in March.
This matchup with Florida has added value. The Wildcats are playing in Rupp Arena, a place where they have won 559 games and have only lost 66, according to BigBlueHistory.net. Kentucky is a different monster while playing at home. This season though, the Cats have dropped a total of five games with two of those losses being at Rupp against Kansas and UCLA.
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Fans Need Hope…And So Do The Cats
Saying that the Big Blue Nation needs this win is an understatement. Cats fans are very bothered by this teams performances even during winning contests. A common theme among complaints, is the teams general lack of “want-to” and effort. It just seems as though everyone on the floor is going through the motions. There is always one player that has a great game, but that’s not enough in big games like Florida. The Gators and the Wildcats come into this matchup ranked in the top 25 and tied for the lead in the SEC. The Cats 22-point loss in Gainesville should haunt the team into playing a great game this weekend.
It seems as though this team is waiting for something to play for. Well, here is their chance. Florida has been on a tear lately winning their last nine contests after dropping two in a row to South Carolina and Vanderbilt. The Gators enter the weekend with a 23-5 record, a mark identical to Kentucky. These two teams, certainly will hear their names being called on Selection Sunday. At the moment, the team most people would pick in this matchup would be the Gators.
Based solely on recent lackadaisical performances from John Calipari’s young squad, its hard to pick the Cats to win the game unless drastic changes are made.
The Matchup
The Gators are led by KeVaughn Allen with 13.6 PPG. Florida’s second leading scorer is Canyon Barry, son of NBA Hall of Famer Rick Barry. Barry, Florida’s sixth man, is averaging 12.7 PPG along with an astounding 90% free throw percentage. Barry has made headlines with his unique free throw form. Canyon is a graduate student transfer from the College of Charleston.
In the last meeting at Florida, the Gators dominatied the Cats in all aspects of the game. Florida had four players in double figures. Kasey Hill had a game high 21 points, followed by Devon Robinson (16), Canyon Barry (14), and KeVaughn Allen (12). De’Aaron Fox led the Cats with 19 buckets. Malik Monk chimed in with a measly 11 points as Kentucky’s second leading scorer of the game. John Calipari’s team will need to amass a greater performance than that to knock off the red-hot Gators looking to make a splash in March.
The Backcourt Voilation
Kentucky’s combo of guards have fallen in the sense of fluidity. It just seems like things aren’t as smooth as they have been since the beginning of the season. De’Aaron Fox hasn’t been the showstopper he once was in the beginning of the season. Malik Monk is a very streaky scorer and is no help defensively or on the glass. Who in the world knows where this Isaiah Briscoe kid came from? Kentucky needs the triple-double Briscoe, not the drive it to the lane and throw up junk Briscoe.
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These three players are the key assets to this team going forward. You know what you’re going to get from Bam Adebayo. Derek Willis along with Wenyen Gabriel are role players that can give you an added boost in the point column from time to time. Kentucky’s Backcourt will carry this team where they want to go, or they will be the reason that they fall.