Kentucky takes on Florida in the regular season finale before both teams head into the postseason.
Cats Illustrated writers offer their takes and predictions on the Cats and Gators.
What are you most interested to see in Saturday's game?
Jeff Drummond: The home/road splits in the SEC have been staggering this season, so I’m expecting the Cats will have their hands full with the Gators in this one even though they handled them in routine fashion at Rupp Arena. I’m curious if the same defensive approach will work this time around. UK has experienced some slippage on that end of the floor in recent games, so it will take a much better effort to close out the regular season on a good note.
David Sisk: Let me start out by saying that I agree with everything John Calipari said this week about Florida. They should not have to win to get into the NCAA Tournament. They are 19-11 overall, 9-8 in the SEC, and they have a non-conference win over Ohio State. Mike White is no Billy Donovan, but I love how hard his teams play. I think he is one of those coaches who would do great at a program where it is hard to win. His teams would defend, play physical, and make the other team play an ugly game. That's what I'm looking for on Saturday. I was concerned during the first meeting that Kentucky would end up with several players in a hospital bed. Gainesville is a tough place to play with the crowd right on top of the floor. This one will see how thick the Wildcats' skin is.
Justin Rowland: How many three-pointers will the Gators make? Florida only shoots 31.6% from three-point range on the season but in UF's last four games they are 10/25, 8/25, 14/31, and 10/21 from outside the arc, so they're shooting well above 40% recently. If Florida knocks down 10+ three-pointers at home in this game then it's probably going to be a close one. But I think the Gators need to shoot like that to knock off UK. If they're season average or worse it's tougher to see them knocking the Cats off.
Kentucky's defense has something to prove after Ole Miss shot 50% from the field on Senior Night.
Who needs to step up for Kentucky?
Drummond: Take your pick: Kellen Grady or Davion Mintz. One of them needs to have a big scoring day from the perimeter to bring that balance that makes UK almost impossible to defend.
Sisk: My player to watch is once again Oscar Tshiebwe. I have two reasons for choosing Kentucky's center. For one, he had 27 points and 19 rebounds, which included nine offensive boards the first time around. The second bullet point is Florida's best player is their center, Colin Castleton. He leads the team in scoring (16.1), rebounding (9.0), and blocked shots (2.0). Whoever wins this matchup wins the game. The Gators would certainly get smaller and less talented on the floor if Tshiebwe were able to get Castleton in early foul trouble.
Rowland: I think Oscar's going to have a huge game after Calipari said he got bullied by Ole Miss in the last game. I wouldn't be surprised if he has a 20 & 15 or better game. Against UF in the first meeting he was 11/18 from the floor. He has gotten more and more aggressive as the season has gone on and is 22/33 from the field over UK's last two games and 36/52 over UK's last four games. If it continues UK has a great shot.
What's your prediction for the game?
Drummond: Kentucky 80, Florida 74 — I’ve gone back and forth on this pick a bit the last couple of days. Gainesville can be a really tough place to win. Just ask Auburn. But if this UK team is truly a title contender, it has to take care of business in a game that has this much riding on it in terms of seeding for both the SEC and NCAA tournaments.
Sisk: I have been waiting for the Cats to get back on track since they were bitten by the injury bug. They haven't rolled for a complete game since they took care of the Gators 78-57 in Rupp all the way back on February 12. I doubt this is where they turn it loose, but a road win here definitely provides momentum going into the league tournament. The Cats have won three in a row in Gainesville including last year's team pulling off an upset. But my most memorable moment is the last second basket two years ago in a 71-70 comeback win. It was one the team needed after losing to Tennessee. This time they will win another tight one that they need to get. Kentucky 77, Florida 72.
Rowland: Kentucky has won three straight games at Florida. That doesn't seem to have any bearing on a completely different UK team but I think it speaks to how seriously UK takes the game. UK-Florida may not be the conference's marquee matchup anymore but it's one that Kentucky generally gets up for when it goes on the road. I think Calipari will have everyone's attention with the SEC and NCAA tournaments right around the corner and UK makes a nice statement. UK 82, Florida 74.
