No. 9/9 Kentucky (22-4, 12-3 SEC)
vs.
Florida (18-8, 9-6 SEC)
March 7, 2004 – 12:06 p.m – CBS Sports
Lexington, Ky. – Rupp Arena (23,000)
Kentucky will close out the 2003-04 regular season Sunday when they play host to the Florida Gators. Senior Day activities will begin approximately 15 minutes before the scheduled 12:00 p.m. tipoff.
A capacity Rupp Arena crowd bids farewell to a five-man senior class in the traditional Senior Day pregame ceremony before the Cats and Gators tangle in a high noon CBS battle. Antwain Barbour, Erik Daniels, Gerald Fitch, Cliff Hawkins and Matt Heissenbuttel will bid farewell to a faithful home crowd after recording their 100th win as a class Wednesday at South Carolina.
Kentucky has already earned its fourth-consecutive SEC Eastern Division title and a first-round bye in next week?s SEC Tournament in Atlanta. The Cats will face the winner of East #5 vs. West #4 at 1 p.m. Friday in the Georgia Dome.
The Florida Gators
A resurgent Florida squad travels to Rupp Arena to close the regular season with an 18-8 overall record and a 9-6 conference record. The Gators have won their last four games, but need a victory over the Wildcats or a Saturday loss by Vanderbilt to secure a first-round bye in next week?s SEC Tournament.
The Gators have gone 5-2 since Kentucky visited Gainesville on Feb. 3. Florida also owns a 4-0 record without Christian Drejer, who left the team last month to pursue a professional career overseas. He was averaging 10.2 ppg and 2.8 rpg.
Anthony Roberson is averaging 17.1 ppg and 3.8 apg to lead the Gators, while shooting 42 percent from three-point range. Matt Walsh adds 16.3 ppg while David Lee is the team?s leading rebounder with 7.0 boards per contest.
Billy Donovan holds a career record of 202-101 in his 10th season as a head coach. He?s 167-81 in his eighth season at Florida.
Senior Day
In a special pregame ceremony, UK will honor its seniors – Antwain Barbour, Erik Daniels, Gerald Fitch, Cliff Hawkins and Matt Heissenbuttel – on Senior Day. The ceremony will include video tributes, over 23,000 singing ?My Old Kentucky Home? and the presentation of framed jerseys.
The ceremony, which the late Al McGuire once called ?the most touching moment in sports,? will begin at approximately 11:48 a.m.
The Class of 2004 has compiled an impressive resume over the past four seasons. The group collected its 100th win against South Carolina Wednesday and holds a record of 100-28. They have collected four SEC Eastern Division titles, two SEC Championships and two SEC Tournament titles.
These Cats have been to the NCAA Sweet 16 three times and advanced to the Elite Eight in 2003. They?ve been ranked 16th or better each year in the final Associated Press Top 25, including a final No. 1 ranking last season.
Senior Day Supremacy
The Wildcats have been highly successful in their Senior Day games. Since 1920, Kentucky is 79-4, winning the last six and 38 of the last 39. The Cats have not lost a Senior Day game in the Tubby Smith era.
Kentucky is 2-0 all-time against the Gators on Senior Day with the wins coming in 1994 and 2000.
Series History
This is the 106th meeting between the two teams, with UK owning an 81-24 advantage. Kentucky holds a 41-6 lead in Lexington and has won the last five UK-UF meetings in Rupp Arena.
Kentucky has won five straight in the series, including a 68-65 win in Gainesville last month. The Cats trailed by eight with under three minutes remaining before scoring the game?s final 11 points to secure the win.
After splitting the season meetings four years in a row from 1997-98 through 2000-01, UK has swept the Gators each of the last two years. The Cats have won seven of the last eight 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.
Tubby Smith is 13-4 overall against Florida, including a 9-4 mark at Kentucky. Billy Donovan is 4-13 against the Cats, including a 4-11 record at Florida.
SEC Tournament Looms
Kentucky has already secured the SEC Eastern Division title and a No. 1 seed in next week?s conference tournament in Atlanta.
With much of the bracket still in question entering the final weekend of play, the Wildcats are assured of playing the winner of the Eastern No. 5 vs. Western No. 4 at 1 p.m. on Friday afternoon.
