February 4, 1999
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Freshman Mike Miller scored 20 points and coachBilly Donovan’s program got its biggest boost in his three seasons at Floridawith a 75-68 upset over No. 5 Kentucky on Thursday night.
In front of a record crowd of 12,443 – some of whom waited outside fornearly 24 hours before tipoff – the Gators (16-4, 7-3 Southeastern Conference)opened up a 14-point lead midway through the second half and withstood a lateKentucky rally.
Miller sealed it with four minutes left, sinking a 16-footer, then followingwith a 4-point play by converting a free throw after he got fouled by HeshimuEvans while taking a 21-foot jump shot. The free throw gave Florida a 65-52lead.
It was just Florida’s second victory over Kentucky (19-5, 8-2) in their last14 meetings and it marked a drastic turnabout from their Jan. 2 game, a 93-58Kentucky win in Lexington.
When it was over, security guards kept fans in the student section fromflooding the court. But freshman Teddy Dupay went to them, diving into thecrowd, then prancing down press row sharing high-fives with the students.
The Wildcats lost for the first time in six games. They saw their 15-gameSEC road winning streak snapped as Scott Padgett went 1-for-9 from the floorand failed to score until the last 30 seconds.
Florida improved to 12-0 at home this season and beat a Top 10 team for thefirst time in four tries. They had lost the first three games by an average of25 points.
The victory drew the Gators ever closer to their first NCAA tournament bidsince Lon Kruger’s team went in 1995, the season before he left for Illinois.
It also dulled the pain of a loss at Mississippi State last Saturday thatknocked Florida out of the Top 25 after a one-week stay.
The Gators did it the way Kentucky always has – the way both Donovan andWildcats coach Tubby Smith learned it when they worked as assistants for RickPitino early in the decade.
Florida pressed throughout, forced 16 turnovers and went 9-for-20 from3-point range. They held Kentucky to 41 percent shooting and just 2-for-18 frombehind the 3-point line.
Wayne Turner led the Wildcats with 15 points and Michael Bradley had 11.Jamaal Magloire tried to carve out space in the middle, but he finished withjust 11 points after scoring nine in the first half.
Florida took a nine-point lead at halftime and increased it to 54-40 with11:58 remaining when Brent Wright banked in a 3-pointer and Miller made a17-footer.
Kentucky pulled within 59-52 when Evans hit a long-range jumper, but that’swhen Miller responded with the shots that iced the game.
Udonis Haslem had 14 points for the Gators and Greg Stolt added 13,including three 3-pointers.
By EDDIE PELLS
AP Sports Writer
