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How it Happened as Florida Survives Kentucky to Advance in SEC Tournament

The Florida Gators opened play in the SEC Tournament with a 71-63 win over Kentucky to advance to the semifinals.
Cam Parker|
The Florida Gators will play the winner of Tennessee-Vanderbilt after beating Kentucky in the SEC Tournament Quarterfinals.
The Florida Gators will play the winner of Tennessee-Vanderbilt after beating Kentucky in the SEC Tournament Quarterfinals. | Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

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Florida Gators

The AP fourth-ranked Florida Gators took care of business in the SEC Tournament Quarterfinals, downing Kentucky, 71-63, for its third win over the Wildcats this season.

The win marked Florida’s first season with three wins over Kentucky since 2014, while advancing the Gators to the semifinals, where it will face either four-seed Vanderbilt of five-seed Tennessee.

Alex Condon led the way with a 22-point, 10-rebound double-double in which he added two blocks, while Thomas Haugh (13 points, eight rebounds, three blocks, two steals) and Xaivian Lee (11 points, six assists, three steals) aided in the win.

Florida Gators on SI gives some instant takeaways from Florida’s win, which keeps the Gators in the driver's seat for the final one-seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Winning Basketball by Condon, Handlogten, Lee

Condon was arguably the most impactful player in the first half, scoring seven early points as Florida took a 16-6 lead with 14:13 in first half. He finished the first half with 11 points, six rebounds, two assists and block. 

That play continued in the second half as Condon scored Florida’s first eight points in the second half. 

Off the bench, Micah Handlogten provided impactful minutes early, scoring four points with five rebounds, an assist and a steal in 10 minutes off the bench, including three offensive rebounds in the first half.

Meanwhile, Lee ultimately won the game for Florida with a stretch of plays with less than a minute left. After Kentucky cut the lead to five, Lee hit a step-back 3-pointer to extend the lead to eight. It marked Florida’s first 3-pointer since Boogie Fland hit one with 3:57 left in the first half.

On the ensuing defensive position, Lee recorded a steal and hit a free throw after a foul to put Florida up by nine with 40 seconds left.

Defense Stifles ‘Cats

Kentucky, once again, kept things close late, but Florida’s early defensive effort proved to be enough.

Rueben Chinyelu had three steals within the first five minutes as Kentucky had five turnovers in the first eight minutes. Haugh added two blocks in the first half, while Lee added three steals in the second half.

When Kentucky did not turn the ball over, shots struggled to fall. In the first half, Kentucky went on a shooting drought, missing 10-straight FGs after a layup from Jasper Johnson with 9:40 left tied the game, 20-20. The Wildcats shot 10-for-30 from the field, including 2-for-11 from deep in the first half, and only shot slightly better in the second half, going 11-for-29 from the field and 3-for-12 from deep.

Second-Chance Points, FTs Tell the Story of Each Half

Florida did not shoot the ball well at all on Friday, going 22-for-58 from the field and 3-for-20 from deep. Second-chance points and free throws helped Florida stay in front.

In the first half, Florida had 12 second-chance points off eight offensive rebounds. 

After Kentucky came back to tie it, 20-20, Florida went on a 13-0 run to retake the lead. Handlogten paved the way. Haugh had a second-chance dunk off an offensive rebound from Handlogten to take a 28-20 lead. Handlogten added two offensive rebounds in one possession, including a dunk off a miss to take a 30-20 lead. 

Isaiah Brown added his own offensive rebound on the next possession Fland’s 3-pointer.

Haugh, Brown and Lee added second-chance free throws off of offensive rebounds, while Chinyelu and Haugh added a second-chance bucket in the second half.

Overall, 18 of Florida’s 50 rebounds came on the offensive end, leading to 21 second-chance points.

Meanwhile, free throws set the tone for Florida in the second half as a shooting drought plagued the Gators. Despite going 7-for-24 from the field, including a 10-minute stretch where it missed 12 of 13 shots, the Gators shot 19-for-26 from the charity stripe, with Haugh and Condon combining for 12 points on 14 attempts.

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Cam Parker
CAM PARKER

Cam Parker is a reporter covering the Florida Gators, Auburn Tigers and Clemson Tigers with a degree in journalism from the University of Florida. He also covers and broadcasts Alachua County high school sports with The Prep Zone and Mainstreet Daily News. When he isn't writing, he enjoys listening to '70s music such as The Band or Lynyrd Skynyrd, binge-watching shows and playing with his cat, Chester, and dog, Rufus.

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