Three takeaways from Kentucky basketball’s win over the Florida Gators
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Game day: No. 5 Kentucky 78, Florida 57
Click below for more of the Herald-Leader’s and Kentucky.com’s coverage of Saturday’s game between Kentucky and Florida in Rupp Arena.
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Three takeaways from Kentucky basketball’s 78-57 win over the Florida Gators on Saturday at Rupp Arena.
1. TyTy Washington gives the Big Blue Nation a big scare
With just under 13 minutes remaining, Washington’s legs got caught underneath Florida’s Brandon McKissic, who was diving for a loose ball. In obvious pain, Washington was able to pull his legs out from underneath the Gator. After a few seconds, the freshman guard was able to get up. Unable to put weight on his left leg, however, Washington hopped the length of the floor and then into the tunnel leading to the locker room.
He did not return, which obviously had Big Blue Nation holding its collective breath.
Afterward, however, John Calipari dished out some good news. He reported that X-rays on that left leg were negative. “He may still be out a week or two,” cautioned the coach.
Whew!
Remember, Washington suffered an ankle injury in the first half of UK’s 80-71 loss at Auburn last month. The injury caused him to miss the Cats’ next game, the 82-74 overtime victory over Mississippi State at Rupp Arena. He did return for the next game, the Cats’ statement 80-62 win at Kansas.
Also on the injury front, Jacob Toppin sat out Saturday’s game after suffering an ankle injury at South Carolina on Tuesday night. Toppin was wearing a protective boot on his left leg Saturday.
Davion Mintz told Mike Pratt on the postgame radio show that he thinks Washington “will be alright.”
Still, Mintz will be an important piece moving forward. He’s a savvy veteran who can provide offense. Against the Gators, Mintz scored 11 points, hitting three of his seven three-point attempts.
2. Oscar Tshiebwe got the best of Colin Castleton
Coming into Saturday’s game, the most important one-on-one matchup appeared to be in the middle with Kentucky center Oscar Tshiebwe and Florida center Colin Castleton.
The winner: Thshiebwe.
Castleton wasn’t bad. In his third game back after missing six games with a shoulder injury, the Michigan transfer scored 18 points and grabbed seven rebounds. He scored the Gators’ first six points and 10 of the visitors’ first 21.
But Oscar was Oscar. The West Virginia transfer produced his 19th double-double of the year, scoring 27 points and grabbing 19 rebounds. Tshiebwe went 11-for-18 from the floor and had 10 offensive rebounds.
After being outrebounded each of the last three games, the Cats went back to their glass-eating ways, bashing the Gators 41-25 on the boards. Kentucky had 18 offensive rebounds.
The Cats also received a lift off the bench from Lance Ware, who grabbed seven rebounds to go with his four points in 14 minutes. The game changed when Calipari went with a big lineup, pairing Ware and Tshiebwe together.
“Lance was the reason for the gap,” Calipari said afterward. “Keion (Brooks) didn’t play well today, but Lance covered for him.”
Ware also was in middle of a couple of “chippy” plays with the Gators.
“He’s our enforcer,” Sahvir Wheeler said. “If things get physical, even in practice, he’s always there giving us that edge.”
Back to Oscar. UK began its “Player of the Year” campaign for Tshiebwe last week. Asked about it Wheeler said that Tshiebwe’s candidacy is “self-explanatory,” and added, “He should be Person of the Year.”
3. More proof of Sahvir Wheeler’s impact
Kentucky’s point guard picked up his second foul and a seat on the bench with 13:32 in the first half. (He did return for a few seconds in the first half before being returned right back to the bench.) When Wheeler first exited, UK was up 20-6. By halftime, Florida had cut the lead to 33-28.
With Wheeler back on the floor in the second half, the Cats outscored the Gators 45-29 over the final 20 minutes.
After going 0-for-17 from the field in his last three games, the point guard finally saw the ball go through the net. The Georgia transfer made four of his seven shots, including one of his two three-point attempts.
Asked about his rough shooting stretch, Wheeler sort of laughed and said even Kobe Bryant went through shooting slumps. “Like coach says, you don’t have to make them all, but you can’t miss them all, so I finally made one,” he said, but added that in the team’s 86-76 win at South Carolina on Tuesday he had 11 assists, four rebounds and a steal.
Calipari reiterated that Wheeler doesn’t need to make shots to impact the game. And it’s true. His defensive pressure, his ability to push the pace on offense and his leadership are attributes that don’t show up on the stat sheet.
This story was originally published February 12, 2022 at 7:20 PM.
