Florida Basketball: 3 keys for Gators to defeat No. 7 Kentucky
By Matt Melton
There is no team in the SEC that enters the final day of the 2021-22 regular season on Saturday needing a win more than Florida Basketball.
Faced with a must-win game on Tuesday night with their NCAA Tournament hopes on the line, the Gators were able to erase a late second half deficit at Vanderbilt, defeating the Commodores 82-78 due to some massive shots late from Phlandrous Fleming Jr and others.
Despite the win however, the Gators still enter Saturday sitting just outside of the NCAA Tournament according to the latest Bracketology from ESPN’s Joe Lunardi. With every game a “must-win” from here on for Florida, the Gators have yet another golden opportunity to improve their bubble seeding on Saturday when the No. 7 ranked Kentucky Wildcats come to Gainesville for the regular season finale.
Having lost to the Wildcats 78-57 in Lexington back in early-February, it will not be an easy task to defeat Kentucky on Saturday, but it’s certainly possible. What are some keys for Florida Basketball to pick up yet another massive NCAA Tournament resume-boosting win against the Wildcats?
3 keys for Florida Basketball to defeat No. 7 Kentucky
3. Phlandrous Fleming Jr
Speaking of Fleming, there are few players in the SEC who have had a better last week than the Charleston Southern transfer.
Fleming added a season-high 27 points in last Saturday’s road win at Georgia, as well as adding 16 points Tuesday night against Vanderbilt, a game in which the senior made some big shots late with none bigger than a go-ahead three with :06 seconds remaining. Going into this important game against Kentucky as well, it is key for Fleming to continue impacting the game as much as he has recently.
Not only has the senior been a key scorer for the Gators over the last week, but Fleming has truly done it all over the last two games adding a combined nine rebounds, ten assists, two blocks, and four steals on 57.1%/46.2%/100% shooting.
Fleming had 8/4/2 in the previous meeting against the Wildcats. If Fleming continues to play the way he has over the past week on Saturday, he could be a difference-maker for the Gators.