Kentucky Basketball: Who was that Wildcat team that dismantled Florida?

Keion Brooks returns and the new look Kentucky basketball team plays their best game all year.

Apparently, some alien life form had captured the Kentucky basketball team in the fall and didn’t return them to Lexington until the New Year.

After going 1-6 to open the fall campaign the Wildcats have returned to Earth with new life, spring in their step, energy, and oh yeah Keion Brooks Jr. was back.

Brooks, the only returning player to score from last year has been out with a left leg injury, but the sophomore returned to the court and with a vengeance against Kentucky’s most hated SEC rival as Kentucky whooped host Florida 76-58.

The last time these two met in such a lopsided game Florida took Kentucky to the woodshed 88-66 in Gainsville in 2017. That was after Kentucky laid a 22 point beat down the year before in Rupp Arena.

Kentucky coach JohnCalipari is now19-8 against Florida while at Kentucky and with the win is 334-83 coaching the Big Blue.

The Wildcats (4-6, 3-0) had four players finish in double figures led by Davion Mintz and Brandon Boston Jr. with 13 each while Brooks added 12 and Olivier Sarr 10. Isaiah Jackson and Devin Askew just missed joining that club with 9 points apiece.

Without its typical loud O’Dome crowd noise that would have sat stunned in disbelief, the arena unknowing choose a very appropriate song during a timeout in the closing minute for Kentucky and not its own Gators – AC/DC’s “You Shook Me All Night Long.”

“Cause the walls start shaking, the Earth was quaking.”

That was the case after the opening three minutes where Florida led 10-5 and Dontaie Allen hopped off the bench, into the game and immediately drained a 3-pointer and the Wildcats would have the Gators shaking the rest of the way.

The Wildcats his 55-percent from the field including 6-of-13 behind the arc and was 12 of 13 from the foul line.

Kentucky showed a fight and spirit we have yet to witness for an entire game that was also void of the usual Wildcat scoring droughts, standing around, and individual egos that had left this team in disarray and fans bewildered.

What we learned from three straight wins is don’t count this team out just yet. Here are the four things that stand out from the game.