After making their way through the SEC with ease during the regular season, the Florida Gators have found themselves being challenged in the conference tournament. Florida has already wrapped up the regular season title and a No. 1 seed for the NCAA tournament, but they are hoping to take home the conference title as well. The Gators will be challenged once again as a young Kentucky team aims to play upset with the favorites.
Florida beat Tennessee in the semifinals, but it was not easy. The Gators trailed by double digits for the first time since November as the Volunteers gave them their best effort. However, Florida turned on the jets in the end, outscoring Tennessee 28-14 in the final 20 minutes of the game. The volunteers missed 15 of 20 shots while committing 11 turnovers in the second half. The win marked 25 in a row for the Gators and the team hopes to make it 26 before heading to the big dance.
Kentucky can certainly pull the upset if they play their best, something that has been a struggle this year. The Gators routed the Wildcats in their first meeting, but were forced to overcome a seven-point deficit in the second half to get the win in the second meeting. In that win, Casey Prather put up 24 points while Scottie Wilbekin went 11 of 12 for 23 points.
If Kentucky gets the win, it is their third tournament championship in five seasons. While the Wildcats started the season ranked No. 1 overall, they struggled throughout the season thanks to the amount of youth on the roster. However, the team has looked strong in the tournament, first beating LSU and then taking over Georgia in the second half of that game.
Kentucky's record against ranked teams does not work in their favor. The team is 1-5 against ranked teams this season. Their lone win came against Louisville back in December. Meanwhile, Florida has won 30 in a row against unranked teams.
