KENTUCKY MEN’S BASKETBALL POSTGAME NOTES
FLORIDA at KENTUCKY
RUPP ARENA AT CENTRAL BANK CENTER | LEXINGTON, KY
FEB. 22, 2020
ATTENDANCE: 20,489 (season high)
Final Score: No. 10 Kentucky 65, Florida 59
Team Records and Series Notes
- Kentucky has won six in a row and is 22-5 overall.
- UK remains in first place in the Southeastern Conference with a 12-2 league record and a two-game lead over Auburn and LSU.
- Florida is 17-10 overall, 9-5 in league play, ending the Gators’ three-game winning streak.
- UK leads the series 103-40 and has won three in a row.
- UK leads 53-10 in games played in Lexington.
- The teams will play again two weeks from tonight, March 7 in Gainesville, to conclude the regular season.
- Next up: on Tuesday, Kentucky takes on Texas A&M at 7 p.m. EST (6 p.m. CST in College Station). The television assignment is ESPN.
Player Notes
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Immanuel Quickley had a career-high 26 points, 22 of which came in the second half.
- He has been torrid in the second half in UK’s current six-game win streak, averaging 15.5 points in the second half alone during this six-game stretch.
- It is his seventh 20-point game of the season, all coming in the last 15 games. It’s his fifth 20-point scoring game in the last nine games.
- It is his 16th consecutive game in double figures, most since Malik Monk had a 30-game streak during the 2016-17 season.
- He made 4 of 6 on 3-point shots tonight. UK is 9-0 in Quickley’s career when he makes at least three long balls.
- Entering the game as the leading free-throw shooter in the SEC at 91.2%, he made 6 of 6 at the charity stripe, including two in the closing seconds to ice the game.
- He also tied his career high for steals with three thefts.
- Tyrese Maxey had 13 points, a team-high seven rebounds and seven assists.
- UK is 4-0 this season when he has seven or more rebounds.
- It is his 19th game this season in double figures.
- Ashton Hagans came off the bench and had seven points, four assists and three steals.
- He did not start for first time since Dec. 1, 2018 vs. UNC Greensboro.
Coach John Calipari
- Calipari is now 327-76 at UK.
- He has a 772-216 all-time on-court record.
- UK is 265-43 against unranked foes under Calipari.
- Kentucky is 148-40 under Calipari in SEC regular-season games.
- He is 18-8 all-time vs. Florida.
Team Notes
- Kentucky held Florida to 59 points. UK is 184-7 (96.3%) in the Calipari era when keeping the opponent to 63 points or fewer.
- UK won the game despite losing the rebounding, 30-27. UK is 3-4 this season when being outrebounded.
- Kentucky made 10 of 10 free throws, including all four in the final 12 seconds with the game on the line.
- It is the 11th time in school history that UK has made every free throw in a game (min. 10 attempts). Ironically the last time it happened was against Florida, when the Cats made all 11 on Feb. 7, 2012.
- UK has made at least 75% at the line in 10 straight games.
- Kentucky has won 14 in a row at home.
- With Quickley scoring 26, UK has had five players score at least 25 points in a game this season – Quickley, Nick Richards, Tyrese Maxey, Ashton Hagans and EJ Montgomery.
In the First Half
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The starting lineup consisted of Johnny Juzang, Tyrese Maxey, Immanuel Quickley, EJ Montgomery and Nick Richards for the second time this season. UK is 2-0 with the lineup.
- Ashton Hagans was UK’s first substitute at the 15:59 mark.
- After UF scored on its first possession, UK scored on its next four possessions for an 8-2 lead.
- The teams battled evenly the rest of the first half; fittingly, Florida’s Ques Glover hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to send the teams to intermission tied at 31.
- It is the first time this season UK was tied at intermission.
In the Second Half
- Kentucky began the second half with the opening lineup.
- The teams were tied at 33 when Florida grabbed the lead with a 7-0 run.
- Kentucky roared back with an 8-0 spurt to reclaim the lead at 41-40.
- Trailing 44-41, three straight 3-pointers by Quickley gave UK a 50-44 lead and the Wildcats never trailed again.
- He scored 15 of UK’s first 19 points of the second half.
- Richards capped the 11-0 run with a follow dunk to make it 52-44 with 9:36 left.
- At the end of the shot clock with 1:34 remaining, Quickley’s desperation 3-pointer rattled the rim, then nestled the netting to make it 61-53.
- Florida came back with three straight baskets to pull within 61-59 with 17 seconds left.
- Kentucky survived as Maxey hit two foul shots with 12 seconds left and Quickley added two more with two seconds left for the final tally of 65-59.
