Kasey Hill, No. 24 Florida shred 8th-ranked Kentucky 88-66
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Speedy point guard Kasey Hill matched a career high with 21 points, Devin Robinson added 16 and No. 24 Florida beat No. 8 Kentucky 88-66 Saturday night, giving coach Mike White the breakthrough win he wanted.
The Gators (18-5, 8-2 Southeastern Conference) ended a five-game losing streak in the series and picked up their first win in four tries against ranked teams this season.
Florida improved to 2-10 against ranked teams under White, winning for the first time since upsetting West Virginia in January 2016.
Canyon Barry chipped in 14 points and KeVaughn Allen finished with 12 for the Gators, who outran the Wildcats (18-5, 8-2) up and down the court.
Florida led from the opening tip and really pulled away with a 13-0 spurt in the second half that had the packed O’Connell Center rocking like it was 2007.
Robinson started the run with a 3-pointer from the wing, and John Egbunu followed with a powerful dunk. Chris Chiozza and Hill then combined on the play of the night. Chiozza stripped the ball on one end and hit Hill in stride some 70 feet away for the kind of long-distance pass that had to make retired football coach Steve Spurrier, who was sitting courtside, smile.
By the time the run was over, the Gators were up 75-52 and had many wondering whether they would end up with another 30-point victory.
Florida beat its last three opponents – LSU, Oklahoma and Missouri – by at least 30 points. That tied a school record set in 2004 and matched in 2006 – both by teams that included future NBA lottery picks Al Horford, Corey Brewer and Joakim Noah.
The Gators didn’t make it four in a row, but they surely enjoyed this one more than any of the others.
Kentucky, meanwhile, was mostly miserable and will have a long flight home. Coach John Calipari’s team has lost three of four, and the Wildcats needed overtime to hold off Georgia at home on Tuesday.
Freshman De’Aaron Fox returned from missing one game because of an illness and led Kentucky with 19 points. Malik Monk, the SEC’s leading scorer, finished with 11 points after being held scoreless in the first half.
The Cats finished with a season low in points and shooting percentage (37.7).
Even more telling: Florida outrebounded Kentucky 54-29.
But the biggest difference was Hill, who sliced through Kentucky’s zone and made things happen for the Gators. He added five rebounds and six assists in one of the most complete games of his four-year career.
Big picture
Kentucky: For starters, the Wildcats need to get healthy. Freshman Sacha-Killeya-Jones (illness) did not make the trip, and fellow forward Tai Wynyard (illness) played sparingly. It also didn’t help Kentucky that Monk, Fox and Isaiah Briscoe combined for 36 points on 12-of-35 shooting.
Florida: The Gators are rolling, having won four straight in lopsided fashion. It all happened after a humbling home loss to Vanderbilt that prompted a lengthy team meeting in which players refocused their goals. Now, they’re poised to possibly earn a top-four seed in the NCAA Tournament and play in nearby Orlando.
Up next
Kentucky: Hosts LSU on Tuesday. The Tigers entered Saturday 1-8 in league play, including 0-5 at home.
Florida: Plays at Georgia on Tuesday. The Bulldogs are coming off a two-point loss at No. 19 South Carolina.