Game of the Night (2/10)

Florida Gators 65 – Kentucky Wildcats 68

This Tuesday night matchup between two of the top teams in the SEC East was a back-and-forth battle that was decided in the game’s final seconds (actually the game’s final tenths of a second). Florida, coming into the night with a 6-2 conference record, tried to strengthen its hold on the SEC East and continue to build momentum after coming off a big win against South Carolina. Kentucky, on the other hand, needed to get back on track after losing three in a row and protect its home court before playing three of their next four away. Tonight’s game featured seventeen ties or lead changes, and the largest lead of the night by either team was eight. Florida jumped out to a quick lead, led by PG Nick Calathes, who scored a game-high 33 points. Kentucky’s Jodie Meeks helped the Wildcats stay close, scoring 23 on 7-19 shooting. After Florida F Dan Werner missed a free throw with 40 seconds to go that would have given Florida a 66-65 lead, Kentucky called two timeouts before finally putting the ball in Meeks’ hands. With 4.7 seconds to go, Meeks sunk an off-balance three giving Kentucky a three point lead. The Wildcats and their fans were deafening after the basket but were quickly silenced with .6 of a second remaining when Calathes was inexplicably fouled from three-point range by Kevin Galloway. Calathes, who had been 11-12 from the line only needed to make three foul shots to send the game into overtime…but he missed all three, allowing Kentucky to escape with a much-needed victory. The two will meet again in Gainesville on March 7 to close out the regular season. -J.S.