It was ‘no, no, no’ until it was ‘no way’ Kentucky won that basketball game
Even if you accept the premise that the blueprint of a great drama is that all the twists and turns and highs and lows lead to a big finish, Kentucky’s 71-70 win at Florida on Saturday in the regular-season finale was ridiculously ridiculous.
Let us count the noes that led to the ultimate “no way.”
No Ashton Hagans. Kentucky’s starting point guard and floor leader didn’t make the trip to the Sunshine State after requesting and receiving a couple of days to “step away from the team for personal reasons” according to Coach John Calipari, just minutes before the Cats took Billy Donovan Court.
No (almost) Calipari. UK’s coach was so sure he had been ejected with 12:36 left after picking up his second technical foul that he was on his way to the visiting locker room — “To change,” he said later — when he was informed the first technical, for being outside the coaching box, didn’t count toward disqualification.
No Immanuel Quickley. Or at least no Quickley for the game’s final 9:04 after Kentucky’s most consistent performer, the leading candidate for SEC Player of the Year honors, took a seat after picking up his fifth foul, depriving the Cats of their top scorer and leaving Tyrese Maxey as the lone remaining guard in a three-guard offense.
No chance. Or that’s what you would have thought after the host Gators, hoping a convincing win over regular-season conference champ Kentucky would catch the eye of the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee, built a towering 18-point lead, first at 57-39 and then 59-41 with 11:18 left to play.
In the end, however, what truly mattered was No Quit.
On an afternoon when the Cats could have been excused for throwing in the towel, they instead threw themselves into one of the more remarkable comebacks in the program’s history.
It was a comeback led by junior center Nick Richards, who after going 1-for-7 from the floor in the first half re-connected with his stellar self in the second, making seven of his 11 shots on the way to a 19-point game in which he all but pulled his teammates onto his broad shoulders.
Then there was freshman guard Johnny Juzang, who without Hagans, scored 10 points while playing a career-high 33 minutes. Juzang made four of six shots, including a couple of three-pointers, while committing just one turnover.
And then there was Keion Brooks, the reserve freshman forward who started in place of Hagans and also scored 10 points, though none bigger than his baseline bucket with 1:01 left that pulled the Cats to within 70-69. After a suffocating Kentucky defense forced Florida into a shot clock violation, EJ Montgomery’s tip-in with 11.6 seconds left proved to be the difference.
“And Nate,” said Calipari, pointing to graduate transfer Nate Sestina contributing nine points and six rebounds in an effort that required all seven available players. (Did we mention that handling the point in place of Hagans, Maxey had seven assists and one turnover in 39 minutes?)
Truth be told, Florida had a “no” of its own. The Gators’ most heralded player, Kerry Blackshear, the 6-foot-10 grad transfer from Virginia Tech who considered the Cats before deciding to stay closer to his Orlando home, informed head coach Mike White two minutes into the second half he was a no-go because of a sprained wrist.
“That hurt,” White said afterward. “But give Kentucky credit, they made all the plays.”
They made those plays without (a) Hagans and (b) the uncertainty about what is going on with Hagans at a time when you don’t really need that sort of personnel drama. Afterward, Calipari said he fully expects to have Hagans back for UK’s SEC Tournament debut Friday in Nashville, though he added the caveat that it would be Monday before coach and player will touch base.
But there’s time to worry about all that, after all. Use this regular-season finish as a catapult to the postseason. A remarkable finish.
This story was originally published March 7, 2020 at 5:54 PM.
