By Keith Taylor
Kentucky Today sports editor
The third time wasn’t a charm for Kentucky on Friday.
Playing their third straight game in the Southeastern Conference Tournament, the Wildcats ran out of steam against Florida. The Gators swept Kentucky during the regular season and ousted the Wildcats from the league tournament with a 71-63 victory.
The Wildcats (21-13) defeated LSU and Missouri in the first two rounds of the five-day event, but couldn’t keep pace with the Gators, especially in the low post in the quarterfinals.
Florida (26-6) owned a 50-29 edge on the glass and connected on 21 second-chance baskets on 18 offensive rebounds.
Kentucky coach Mark Pope said the loss was frustrating but praised his team’s “competitive spirit.”
“We got beat up on the glass in a massive way,” Pope said. “We were in some foul trouble, trying to manage some foul issues. We ended up being small. Even when we were big, it was hard for us on the glass. Credit Florida for that. They did a tremendous job on the glass.”
Kentucky forward Mouhamed Dioubate said the Gators were better on the glass than in the previous two games between the two teams.
“The first two games we played them, they weren’t this good on the glass,” he said. “Today, they just got a lot of good tips. They won a lot of 50/50 balls. We could have done a better job with rebounding. That’s where I feel like there would have been a big difference in the game if we had rebounded more. We’ve just got to be better.”
Former Gator Denzel Aberdeen led the Wildcats with 17 points, followed by Dioubate with 14. Dioubate carried the Wildcats with 12 points in the first half and made back-to-back 3-pointers in a 10-0 run for Kentucky that tied the game 20-20.
The Gators responded with a 13-0 spree, which helped Florida overcome an eighth-minute drought that featured no field goals in the second frame.
Florida dominated the three games between the two teams and led for the entire 120 minutes, despite a trio of late comeback attempts by the Wildcats.
“It was kind of the same story each of the three times we played these guys this year,” Florida coach Todd Golden said. “(We) got up big in the second half. We were up 17 with 13 to go. We had an opportunity to extend to a point where they couldn’t get back in the game. We got sloppy with the ball.”
Although rebounding was an issue for Kentucky, the Wildcats were 21-for-59 from the field. Kentucky made just five 3-pointers on 23 attempts.
“We didn’t play well,” Pope said. “We couldn’t make a shot. We couldn’t grab a rebound. For us, it’s the way Florida (plays), they’re a good team. Give them some credit there. They challenge you in transition. They challenge you on the glass.”
Now, Kentucky awaits its placement in the NCAA Tournament. The bracket pairings will be announced on Sunday. Pope said he has spent “zero time” looking past Nashville.
“I trust the people who are making those decisions to make those decisions,” he said. “At the end of the day, you’ve got a bunch of teams. You’ve got to win all your games. I’m not really concerned. We have to go play great teams. Everybody in the tournament is going to be a great team. You have to find a way to win ’em. Feels very much like the SEC. You play great teams every night. It’s really not any more complicated than that.”
