NEW ORLEANS -- The Gators turned up the pace on Saturday against No.
1-ranked Kentucky, but in the end, the Wildcats pulled out a 74-71 win in the
SEC Tournament semifinals thanks to a big second-half surge.
The loss ended Florida’s stay in New Orleans and the Gators
(23-10) now must wait to learn of their NCAA Tournament destination on Sunday
night.
Playing at a much faster tempo than six days earlier when the
Gators lost by 20 points to Kentucky in the regular-season finale in
Gainesville, Florida led by as many as 10 points (31-21) in the first half
before Kentucky took its first lead on a Anthony Davis 3-pointer for a 40-39
halftime lead.
However, the Gators regained the lead early in the second
half and led 56-51 with 10:42 as they tried to avoid a third loss to the
Wildcats (32-1) this season. Instead, Kentucky stormed back with a 14-0 run as
the Gators went more than six minutes without scoring.
Kentucky led by as many as nine points before Erik Murphy,
who scored a career-high 24 points, scored seven consecutive points to bring
the Gators back. Murphy’s offensive put-back with 17.3 seconds left trimmed
Kentucky’s lead to 70-68 but Marquis Teague hit a pair of free throws to extend
the lead back to 70-66 to essentially seal the win for the Kentucky.
The Wildcats have now won 24 consecutive games and will face
the Vanderbilt-Ole Miss winner in the SEC Tournament championship on Sunday.
The Gators were trying to beat the nation’s No. 1-ranked team
for the first time since knocking off Ohio State in the 2007 NCAA Championship
game. But the Wildcats were too much down the stretch, outrebounding UF 36-22.
