Here comes yet another "Biggest Game of the Year." This one, on the heels of the season's second toughest loss to date (behind UCLA, which still makes me physically ill to think about), is particularly big because it comes right at the precipice of an extremely tough run for Kentucky. We've got a vet-heavy Mississippi St. team coming in this week, and then we go to West Virginia next weekend. So if we're going to keep the ship steady we badly, badly need to win this game.
Florida comes in as the league's best outside shooting team. After a weird bump in the road that saw them lost four of five games a month ago, including a horrid loss to Loyola-Chicago at home, Florida has gotten it back together to win seven of eight. (The game they lost, at Ole Miss, took a wild Ole Miss shooting onslaught that saw the Rebels hit shots from every conceivable angle.) Florida can hurt you with multiple people, particularly Jalen Hudson, who comes in as one of the nation's best outside shooters. They will basically spread you and attack from every edge of the perimeter with both their bigs and smalls, and they've got a point guard in Chris Chiozza who will run by you if you don't get down the floor. Not an easy team for a young team to play against because they can hurt you in so many different ways, and for Kentucky to win this it will have to bring its Louisville effort.
The game is at 8:15 tomorrow night on ESPN. GameDay will be there and I believe the festivities will begin at Rupp Arena tomorrow morning at 9:00 a.m.
My prediction:
Florida 80
Kentucky 82
Florida comes in as the league's best outside shooting team. After a weird bump in the road that saw them lost four of five games a month ago, including a horrid loss to Loyola-Chicago at home, Florida has gotten it back together to win seven of eight. (The game they lost, at Ole Miss, took a wild Ole Miss shooting onslaught that saw the Rebels hit shots from every conceivable angle.) Florida can hurt you with multiple people, particularly Jalen Hudson, who comes in as one of the nation's best outside shooters. They will basically spread you and attack from every edge of the perimeter with both their bigs and smalls, and they've got a point guard in Chris Chiozza who will run by you if you don't get down the floor. Not an easy team for a young team to play against because they can hurt you in so many different ways, and for Kentucky to win this it will have to bring its Louisville effort.
The game is at 8:15 tomorrow night on ESPN. GameDay will be there and I believe the festivities will begin at Rupp Arena tomorrow morning at 9:00 a.m.
My prediction:
Florida 80
Kentucky 82
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