Coming into the final day of January, it seemed the Florida Gators (15-6) were lacking a “trademark” win to add to their resume, as they were 0-6 against Quad One teams.
Now heading into the first day of February, the Gators have that “trademark” win. And it was against SEC rival and a top ten team, the No. 10 Kentucky Wildcats (15-6), 94-91.
It was the first road win by the Gators against a top ten opponent since 2003.
Earlier in January, the Gators suffered a heart-breaking home defeat to the Wildcats, 87-85. However, the Gators headed into Lexington, Kentucky on a three-game win streak and plenty of momentum after a rocky start to conference play.
Just like their first matchup, the game was a competitive bout with a whopping 37 lead changes. Kentucky led by five after the first half, but the Gators stormed back to make it a one-possession game with just seconds remaining.
With one chance at sending the game to overtime, Florida put the ball in the hands of junior guard Walter Clayton Jr., who hit a game-tying three-pointer with five seconds remaining on the clock.
It was one of Clayton Jr.’s seven three-point makes in the game, as he finished the contest as Florida’s leading scorer with 23 points.
The Gators controlled the pace in overtime, grabbing a lead behind Clayton Jr.’s proficient shooting and then locking down defensively. In fact, the Gators did not allow Kentucky to score any points for over two and a half minutes during the overtime period, a drought which ended with just 11 seconds remaining in the matchup.
Despite a late scare off a Clayton Jr. turnover, the junior guard grabbed the game-sealing rebound and time expired, giving the Gators the three point win.
Alongside Clayton Jr., Florida had two other players score 20 or more points in the contest. Senior forward Tyrese Samuel added 22 points as well as 13 rebounds, and senior guard Zion Pullin also put up 21 points alongside seven rebounds and seven assists.
On the scoring end for the Wildcats, their dynamic freshman guards Reed Sheppard and Robert Dillingham led the way, scoring 24 and 20 points respectively. Senior guard Antonio Reeves also added 19 points, and sophomore forward Ugonna Onyenso put up a career-high 13 points to go along with 16 rebounds and eight blocks. Onyenso also had an unreal nine offensive rebounds in the contest.
Despite many standouts on both sides, the difference in the game could be attributed to one simple factor: free throws. In the past few matchups, the Gators have drastically improved from the stripe, and they shot 18-22 from the line today. In comparison, the Wildcats shot 11-17. In a three-point game, any and every point matters, and Florida found the way to get those points today.
Now riding the momentum of a four-game winning streak and a massive road victory, the Gators will head to College Station on Saturday to face Texas A&M (12-8). That matchup will take place at 4 PM eastern.