Attention, Southeastern Conference. Kentucky has a freshman point
guard capable of beating teams in a variety of ways.
And it's not John Wall.
Eric Bledsoe scored a career-high 25 points, getting to the
rim, hitting 3-pointers and making just about everything in between
to help the second-ranked Wildcats stay unbeaten with an 89-77
victory over Florida on Tuesday night.
"He's as good as any point guard in the country," Gators
coach Billy Donovan said. "He's faster than John Wall and probably
shoots it a little bit better."
Wall was no slouch, either. He finished with 19 points
despite missing six of seven from 3-point range. Patrick Patterson
added 15 points and seven rebounds for the Wildcats (17-0, 2-0
Southeastern Conference), who ended the game with a 17-5 run and
snapped a five-game losing streak in Gainesville.
Erving Walker led Florida with 20 points, and Alex Tyus added
17. But the Gators (11-5, 0-2) are off to their worst start in
conference play since 1996 -- the year before coach Billy Donovan
took over.
Florida made this one close in the second half.
Kentucky built a 55-40 lead, but couldn't close it out --
something that's starting to become a trend for coach John
Calipari's team.
Kentucky watched a double-digit lead slip away Saturday
against Georgia. This time, Walker did most of the damage. He hit
two 3-pointers and two free throws, then Kenny Boynton got loose on
a fast break that whittled Kentucky's lead to 61-54 with about 12
minutes to play. Clearly feeling it, Walker hit two more 3s -- on
consecutive possessions -- a few minutes later. Vernon Macklin
rattled home a layup that made it 68-66 with 7:59 remaining.
The Gators tied the game at 72 on Macklin's putback with 5:13
left.
Patterson put the Cats back ahead with a turnaround jumper in
the lane. He failed to convert the three-point play, but DeMarcus
Cousins gathered the rebound. Darnell Dodson then hit a 3. Bledsoe
added to the pain with another 3 on the next possession that put
Kentucky ahead 80-73 with 3:58 to play.
The Gators never recovered.
"It was real big," Patterson said. "It shows our maturity
level, it shows how far we've come. We're a tough team, we have a
will to win and we want to battle."
Kentucky shot 51 percent from the field and made 7 of 18 from
3-point range. Florida was much less effective. Donovan's squad
shot 38 percent from the floor and hit 8 of 27 from behind the arc.
The Gators struggled even more on the defensive end.
Bledsoe, Wall and Patterson proved to be the toughest
matchups. Bledsoe was 10 of 13 shooting and added seven rebounds
and five assists. Wall torched the Gators on the break and finished
with six assists. Patterson was 7 of 11 shooting and had seven
boards.
Florida paid extra attention to Wall and Patterson, and
Bledsoe took advantage.
"When Eric goes off, you just have to keep feeding him the
ball," Patterson said. "We all know what he's capable of."
Kentucky dominated the first half after Florida scored the
first seven points. Macklin dropped in a hook shot in the lane,
Boynton made a layup and then Tyus drained the first 3-pointer of
his career. It was all Kentucky the rest of the way.
The Wildcats scored at will in the paint, were bigger and
faster on the perimeter, and would have had a double-digit lead if
not for a few improbable shots from the Gators. Tyus, who had taken
just one 3 in his first 87 college games, hit another one from
behind the arc and then Boynton banked in a 3.
"We had looks, but they just made more shots than us in the
end," said Walker, who had four of Florida's eight 3-pointers.
The nationally televised game drew plenty of interest.
Florida football coach Urban Meyer and his wife, Shelley, watched
the first half. Meyer, who is taking a leave of absence, spent
several minutes chatting with New England Patriots owner Robert
Kraft, who had courtside seats for the best performance of
Bledsoe's career.
"Big plus to Eric," Wall said. "He stepped up big time for
us. Every time I drove, they weren't leaving me. They were leaving
him open, and he was making shots. That helped us."
