No. 6/4 Kentucky Wildcats (17-2, 8-0 SEC)
vs.
Florida Gators (14-5, 6-2 SEC)
Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2005 – 9:00 p.m. ET
Rupp Arena – Lexington, Ky.
TV: ESPN
Kentucky returns to Rupp Arena for the first time in 17 days after playing five of its last six games on the road. UK currently sits atop the SEC standings with a perfect 8-0 league record. The Wildcats host Florida Tuesday, which is tied with Alabama for the second-best league record at 6-2. It will be just UK?s second home game in 28 days. Four the Cats? next five games are at Rupp Arena.
Kentucky earned a convincing 84-70 victory at Vanderbilt Saturday, completing a season sweep of the Commodores. The Cats were hitting on all cylinders, forcing 20 Vanderbilt turnovers, while placing four players in double figures, led by Chuck Hayes, Kelenna Azubuike and Patrick Sparks with 15 each.
Rajon Rondo added 12 points, eight assists and four rebounds to go along with no turnovers in 30 minutes of action. With two steals against the Dores, Rondo tied Keith Bogans? (1999-2000) Kentucky freshman steals record of 47. It took Rondo, currently tied for second in the SEC with 2.5 spg, just 19 games to match that total.
Scouting the Gators
Florida brings a 14-5 record to Rupp Arena and stands at 6-2 in SEC play after upsetting Alabama in Gainesville Saturday, 85-54.
Junior Anthony Roberson averages 18.1 points for the Gators. David Lee adds 12.8 points and a team-leading 8.0 rebounds, while Matt Walsh is second on the team in scoring with 13.7 ppg.
Former UK assistant Billy Donovan is in his ninth season at Florida, sporting a 183-89 record. He?s 219-109 for his career, including two seasons at Marshall.
Series History
This marks the 108th meeting in the series between Kentucky and Florida with the Wildcats holding an 83-24 advantage.
UK has won seven straight in the series, including both regular-season meetings last year and an 89-73 victory in the SEC Tournament title game. UK has swept the regular-season meetings for the last three years, after splitting with the Gators for four years (1997-98 to 2000-01). Kentucky has won nine of the last 10 meetings.
UK won the first meeting, 44-36, in Lexington on Jan. 3, 1927. The Cats won 21 of the first 22 meetings, winning 18 straight from 1942-64.
The Cats are 42-6 against UF in Lexington, including a 25-4 mark at Rupp. The Gators? last road win in the series came in 1998.
Tubby Smith is 15-4 overall against Florida, including an 11-4 mark at Kentucky. Billy Donovan is 4-15 against the Cats, including a 4-13 record at Florida.
Probable Starters
Pos. # Name Ht. Wt. Cl. PPG RPG Notes F 44 Chuck Hayes 6-6 242 Sr. 10.7 8.7 15 pts, 13 rebs at Vanderbilt F 24 Kelenna Azubuike 6-5 208 Jr. 14.3 4.8 Double figures in last five games C 33 Randolph Morris 6-10 266 Fr. 8.4 3.8 8 pts in 12 mins at Vandy G 4 Rajon Rondo 6-1 171 Fr. 8.2 *2.7 12 pts, 8 assts, 4 rebs vs. VU G 22 Patrick Sparks 6-0 180 Jr. 11.5 *4.9 Has 1,005 career points FLORIDA Pos. # Name Ht. Wt. Cl. PPG RPG Notes F 2 Corey Brewer 6-8 183 Fr. 7.5 2.8 Team-high 36 steals F 24 David Lee 6-9 249 Sr. 12.8 8.0 Leads team in rebounding C 42 Al Horford 6-8 225 Fr. 7.3 6.8 14 pts, 18 rebs vs. Alabama G 44 Matt Walsh 6-6 205 Sr. 13.7 3.0 18 pts, 7 assts vs. Alabama G 1 Anthony Roberson 6-1 180 Jr. 18.1 *2.6 Shooting 50.0% FG; 42.9% 3FG *assists per game
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TV: – Brad Nessler, Dick Vitale, Doris Burke
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