Kentucky’s Willie Cauley-Stein, left, and Julius Mays celebrate after Kentucky upset No. 11 Florida 61-57 in an NCAA college basketball game at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Ky., Saturday, March 9, 2013. (AP Photo/James Crisp)
GARY GRAVES, AP Sports Writer
LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) - Julius Mays’ two free throws with 9.4 seconds remaining capped Kentucky’s comeback from a seven-point deficit for a 61-57 upset of No. 11 Florida on Saturday that revived its NCAA tournament prospects.
Archie Goodwin’s 16 points led the way in a game that Wildcats coach John Calipari described Friday as “do or die” for his defending national champions. Kentucky needed a signature win to maintain its hopes for an NCAA tournament bid.
Kentucky (21-10, 12-6) still needs another win in next week’s Southeastern Conference tournament to bolster its bid. The Wildcats responded with their biggest gut check of the season, outscoring the Gators 11-0 over the final 7:28 for their second win over a Top 25 opponent.
Trailing 57-50, Goodwin scored five straight points and Ryan Harrow (13 points) added two free throws for the tie. Willie Cauley-Stein, playing with four fouls, then took a charge from Murphy with 3:15 left and added a free throw 12 seconds later for the lead.
He later grabbed a rebound with 53 seconds left leading to a free throw by Goodwin. Mays, playing his final regular season game for the Wildcats, sealed it at the foul line.
Erik Murphy’s 17 points led Florida (24-6, 14-4), which missed its final 11 shots.
Alex Poythress added nine points and 12 rebounds and Cauley-Stein had eight boards and six points after a scoreless first half.
Kentucky’s urgency was obvious in the most important of “one-game seasons” Calipari says his team will experience during the conference tournament. Players were fully engaged in a pregame ceremony honoring seniors Mays and injured guard Twany Beckham, while the Rupp Arena crowd of 24,294 did its part to add more energy to the Kentucky team.
It led to the Wildcats’ most important victory of the season, following wins over then No.16 Mississippi and an overtime win against Missouri.
Having clinched their second outright SEC title in three years, the Gators wanted to fine-tune their game for next week’s conference tournament in Nashville. They entered the game leading the nation in scoring margin (plus-19.6) and the No. 3 scoring defense (53.0).
Florida’s only question mark was a two-game road losing streak coming into Rupp Arena, where it hasn’t won since 2007. Then there was the matter of dealing with a Kentucky squad desperate to break a two-game skid and earn the quality win needed for its NCAA tournament resume.
Kentucky’s chances didn’t look good, considering it entered with consecutive road losses at Arkansas and Georgia that quickly erased the optimism from the preceding three-game winning streak. Then there was the Wildcats’ 69-52 loss at Florida on Feb. 12, the game in which they also lost Nerlens Noel to a season-ending knee injury. The team is now 4-3 without the freshman in the lineup.
Kentucky began strong, using hustle and good shooting to build an 11-2 lead highlighted by two baskets by Harrow. At least three Wildcats fought over one loose ball and two blocks by Cauley-Stein helped in holding Florida to 1-of-6 shooting at the start.
But four missed four shots and three turnovers by Kentucky over the next 5:01 allowed the Gators to tie as Murphy scored five points and Mike Rosario and Patrick Young added baskets. From there it became a tense, back-and-forth game defined by small runs culminating in a 31-all tie at the break.
Florida’s 18-13 spurt built its biggest first-half lead at 29-24, but Kentucky rallied with three straight baskets to close on a 7-2 run. Archie Goodwin’s hustle after missing two free throws helped him come up with a loose ball and draw two more chances from the line, making one with 3.2 seconds remaining.
Murphy’s 11 points led the Gators in the first half. Mays’ two 3-pointers and eight points carried Kentucky, which shot 12 of 31 from the field but stayed even by edging Florida 7-6 in second-chance points and 6-5 in offensive rebounds.
Cauley-Stein scored his first basket on a dunk and had seven points to put Kentucky up 45-38 with 14:13 remaining but quickly went to the bench with his fourth less than a minute later. Florida reeled off eight points for the lead, igniting a 19-5 run over 6:02 for a 57-50 lead.
KENTUCKY 61, No. 11 FLORIDA 57
FLORIDA (24-6): Boynton 4-10 0-0 9, Rosario 2-6 2-2 6, Young 5-11 0-0 10, Wilbekin 2-8 2-2 7, Murphy 6-11 2-2 17, Yeguete 1-2 2-4 4, Frazier II 0-1 0-0 0, Prather 2-6 0-0 4. Totals 22-55 8-10 57.
KENTUCKY (21-10): Goodwin 5-13 6-12 16, Harrow 5-12 2-2 13, Cauley-Stein 2-5 2-4 6, Poythress 4-7 1-2 9, Mays 4-10 2-2 13, Hood 0-0 0-0 0, Polson 2-2 0-0 4, Wiltjer 0-7 0-0 0. Totals 22-56 13-22 61.
Halftime_Tied 31-31. 3-Point Goals_Florida 5-14 (Murphy 3-6, Boynton 1-3, Wilbekin 1-4, Frazier II 0-1), Kentucky 4-17 (Mays 3-9, Harrow 1-1, Poythress 0-1, Goodwin 0-3, Wiltjer 0-3). Fouled Out_None. Rebounds_Florida 34 (Murphy 11), Kentucky 40 (Poythress 12). Assists_Florida 8 (Rosario 3), Kentucky 10 (Harrow, Mays, Polson, Poythress 2). Total Fouls_Florida 19, Kentucky 13. A_24,294.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.
14 Responses to Kentucky upsets No. 11 Florida 61-57
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Florida Got, ” Willie – Mays’d “……Thank You Wildcats and Thank You Rupp Arena’s BBN !
Unbelievable, this team is Jeckyl and Hyde. You never know which hat they wear on the court on any particular day.
Yes it is, and that means we still don’t know which version will show up at the next game either.
I agree. I just hope it’s not too little, too late. KY has the talent to win it all, they’ve just been lacking on the will side of the equation at times.
More like Jeckyl and Mild.
Great win! One for the record books! A must needed win too! All you people who talked bad about our boys before this important game should be ashamed of yourselves. You know who you are! Talk bad about them after all the points are counted, and the season is over with if you must, but not now. GO CASTS! Win it all!
“GO CATS!!!!”
The refs. tried their best to get WCS out of the game or neutralized. UK still reached down and pulled up a great victory.
I was holding my breath on that charge that WCS took. It was a good call, but the way the refs had been calling it, I just didn’t know.
You bet Karen! Me too!
I can’t disagree with you, Larry. Now, they’ve just got to keep on playing tough and smart.
Larry Pup the moral compass. Not sure who you are talking about, does not matter to me, but by the same token speaking directly to you be, humbled by the losses as well , because you go overboard after wins.
No Grant, I just pull for Kentucky win or lose. Case closed. Look at some of the posts before this game is all you have to do. You can’t have it both ways.
Larry, you are right, a true fan is with the team win or lose and doesn’t give up on them. I had high hopes for them in today’s game because I think Cal is a master motivator, we played at home and the guys had a lot to play for. I truly think they are getting it and will go to the final game of the SEC tourney and on to dance again this year!.