2020-2021 Kentucky @ Florida (Game 10)

a great day of college basketball continues on espn saturday showcase presented by five hour energy it's the sec on espn from the o'connell center in gainesville florida billy donovan court sec basketball today between the kentucky wildcats and the florida gators matchup of a kentucky team that's yet to lose in conference play it's been a difficult season outside of sec action florida comes into this game two and one on the year the dominant story for the gators here of course the health of keonta johnson who collapsed on december 12th while the gators were taking on florida state in tallahassee great to see him healthy in the building to take this game in right here it's a gators team that's battled its own adversity john calipari and the cats have had each of its own but we are set for tip-off from gainesville kevin connors danny manning delighted to be with you for this sec game and danny despite all the adversity for each of these teams the train rolls on and this is a tremendous road test for each team today oh absolutely kentucky's got to come out and control the tempo and the guards have got to make some shots florida's got to continue to play at a high level which they've been doing cats in the road blue there's a baseline drive by lance ware but he may have stepped out of bounds so the first possession of the game for kentucky is a turnover [Applause] john calipari obviously needs no introduction danny but he's made some lineup adjustments through a difficult start to the year and some feel that the cats may be beginning to find their way i think so coach kyle's going to always challenge his guys to continue to get better and that's what he's doing right now runner off the window and it goes down for tyree appleby and a good start offensively for florida it is coming out a lot of pressure defense right now they're going to try to turn over the young kentucky teams a lot of cats fans waiting for bj boston to get going he's come on over the past couple of games high expectations on a team that as is par for the course in lexington dominated primarily by young players here's a drive in traffic bj boston on cue but the rebound is cleared by florida pushing it up three on the way by to rougey and he knocks it down and florida off to a five nothing lead nice way to come out of the gates for the gators i'll look at mike white and again it's been a difficult year obviously the kiante johnson situation but it's a team danny that's dealt with several coved stoppages what's the challenge when you're dealing with so many starts and stops well you know i i think about how many times guys have missed practice you know when the rhythm that you have in practice now mike is a terrific coach he's going to do a great job he got some fire in the stomach for this game in particular and for his team because he thinks they can get to another level always seems to be the case when kentucky comes to town regardless who the opponent is good looking feed and the throw down by b.j boston mince gets into the paint boston cuts to the basket nice nice pass and finish at the rim boston needs to see that happen see the ball go through the rim colin castleton in the starting lineup he's really come on for the gators of late and the terrific offensive start continues on queue it's castleton throwing it down that's a high ball screen rolls to the basket nice finish castleton has really emerged over the past few games he had a breakout week co-sec player of the week after going for 23 against vanderbilt and 21 against lsu [Applause] mints off balance a whistle and a foul tough shot and they'll count it danny so an opportunity for a three-point play for daveon mintz mince has to get into the paint right here elevates up and makes a tough shot that's his experience right there folks val called on applebee the first we talked about castleton and his emergence for the gators very talented very skilled player you can see the work that juan howard did with him in michigan he scores over both shoulders with both hands [Applause] as mints does convert the three-point play well danny it's a kentucky team we've talked about the struggles that they've had just one and six in non-conference play how do you go about galvanizing a team like that with this kind of youth well the youth is what's going to galvanize you because you have plenty of options on your bench and these guys are chomping at the bit to get into the ball game and when they come in they know they have to bring some effort energy and juice to the team second effort that time by daruji doesn't go and the cats want to run mince in transition slips and falls no contact just a wet spot on the floor and a traveling violation on daveon mintz but i liked his aggressiveness he gets that loose ball and he pushes it up in transition [Music] mints attacking the basket an unfortunate turn over there for a kentucky team that has struggled with turning the ball over here in the early portion of the season and danny the numbers don't lie right i mean the lowest point total per game since the 84-85 season they're struggling to get easy shots what's the best way when shots aren't falling down to go about getting those easy shots well i think this kentucky team needs to get paint touches they got to get the ball to the paint and either get the ball up on the rim and get offensive rebounds or kick it out to wide open shooters who can then make that decision either drive it or shoot the wide open jump shot outstanding freshman trey mann a sophomore rather trey man with the basketball tries a deep three touches every part of the rim before finally going down catch it up this is the guy who makes that florida gator team go he scores he rebounds and he facilitates [Applause] 10-5 early on florida 2-1 in conference play the kentucky wildcats 2-0 despite that odd 3-6 record next to that brand name in college basketball [Music] pull-up free-throw line jumper is off the mark by boston and a whistle and a foul on the floor it'll stay on this end of the floor good looking screen here to free up tray man danny omar payne comes over sets a really good pick trey man sees the defense go under and he's on the logo folks and he knocks that one down touches all the room draymond the leading scorer on the skaters team 14 and a half points per game he also leads the team in assists and rebounds per game a little bit of do everything for mike white yes he is he's a very versatile player isaiah jackson in the game for the first time for kentucky terrific offensive start to this one for the gators and again a little bit of banging down low and you can see the contact underneath the rim looked like maybe jackson got his finger caught on the net yeah but i like that box out by derusia he put his body on him and let him know you're not going to come in here all game i'm here welcome to fcc play and you can see that that last possession may have dislodged the netting from the rim inside the o'connell center so we will have ourselves three minutes and 32 seconds into this game our first delay you never quite exactly know what's going to happen when you show up for work right the kentucky and florida underway a fast start and a delay because of a net issue in gainesville we'll be right back after this well there's a delay right now inside the o'connell center in gainesville florida and here is why moments ago you see the left hand of isaiah jackson espn's exclusive presentation of college basketball is presented by five hour energy shots get it done young man who may have had his five hour energy before they took that photo one of the great shots of the many cutouts we've become so accustomed to seeing not only in college basketball but college football we continue to forge ahead here and we continue to play on inside the o'connell center 10-5 florida gators leading the kentucky wildcats oh nice out of bounds play pick in for olivier star about a 15-foot jump shot i coached this young man i recruited this young man and that is his comfort zone facing up and making shots from the toilet sorry young man who as danny pointed out played in wake forest senior transfer now playing in kentucky and he's come on after what had been a little bit of a slow start which is understandable acclimating to a new team and his energy level is definitely picked up and you know that always happens when you make a shot scottie lewis baseline drive and the talented sophomore out of hasley new jersey turned it over [Applause] this young man is probably one of the better athletes in college basketball he is a freak athlete i'm excited to see him attack the rim and make plays for his team today outstanding defender he was a consensus second team preseason all-sec pick i think some people were a little surprised when he returned but certainly mike white thrilled to have scottie lewis back in a florida uniform absolutely i'm really impressed with devon askew you know he he lost his starting spot he regained it back that showed me some toughness and some mozzie about that young man who is a young freshman and he's going to help this team as he continues to get comfortable ask you who reclassified as danny said truly a young freshman after dante allen knocked down that three moments ago to tie it kentucky's playing really good defense the ball goes into the post they double the post and make them kick it out a contested jump shot they clean up the glass and now they're going to get off to the races lock missed fires and the rebound cleared by isaiah jackson and despite all that's gone on danny an opportunity here for kentucky to take the lead yes they've been solid just chipping away at a little by little jackson going to work good challenge at the rim by omar payne with great defense [Music] look for scotty to get some straight line drives try to make something happen good head fake baseline drive by osifo and it's batted away last touched by osifo i thought that was great defense by olivier saw rotated over went vertical didn't come down and forced to turn it no under 16 time out because of the delay so we keep it here and reminds you that coming up next a classic showdown georgetown syracuse harkening back to their big east days together and we close out tonight on espn with a good pac-12 showdown ucla and arizona i know i'm talking to a guy who dominated the 1980s playing in the big eight danny but i know that syracuse georgetown means something to you too oh absolutely the old big east those were the days that big monday game those are a lot of fun to watch brooks checks in the game for kentucky it's nice to see him out there he's the most experienced player on this kentucky roster and they surely lead him out there on the court well john calipari sub dante allen into the game and they sorely need him consecutive three-pointers by the sec freshman of the week has the cats in front live look in gainesville florida kevin connors danny manning and you know what danny when it's not working offensively sometimes you tighten the screws a bit on defense yes you do and right here great rotation and we call that a wall up olivier tsar's hands go vertical the defender bounces into him and loses the ball out of bounds and that's a great energy generating behavior for this kentucky team to build off of saw a guy who you coached at wake forest obviously a skilled defensive player and again he's come on here a bit for john calipari's team yes he has and he's got to continue to do that to help this team get to the heights that they want to get to eight nothing wrong right now by kentucky after falling behind 10-5 kentucky's very active on the defensive end right now their hands are in the passing lane get a deflection right there that's something that you like to see as a coach deflection well it's a kentucky team that overcame a nine-point deficit on tuesday against vanderbilt and again some people point to that game and certainly the second half as you know what maybe this is the kentucky team that we expected at the start of the season but didn't necessarily see castleton tied up that time by sauron again good defense by the cats yes one up vertical again got a hand on the ball terrific defense the kentucky wildcats they've got a different mozzie about them today defensively they're very active they're in tune and they know that this is the type of play they need to have success florida started sec play just before the new year december 29th with the win at vanderbilt they follow that up with a home win over lsu as the alley-oop goes down in transition and it's that man keon brooks what a great way to get your first two points coming back great defensive stand by the kentucky wildcats brooks medically cleared earlier this week after missing the first nine games with a left leg injury and what a welcome return to john calipari's lineup for the outstanding sophomore yes share the basketball push it in transition and throw the rim fill the lob at the rim terrific finish defensively kentucky's coming out and they're trapping ball screens and that's giving florida a little bit of trouble they're very active and they're very long and they're doing a great job of contesting all passes inside the scoring area looks a young man who played his high school ball at what's become a factory in fort wayne indiana la lumere school and again a welcome addition back in the lineup for cal's cats baseline drive up and under to beat the shot clock by daruji nice finish up and under [Music] [Applause] i like to ask you nice command of the team getting them in their offensive sets getting the ball where it's supposed to he's really started to grow as a basketball player on the college scene well and you and it's a great point you make danny again we're nine games into a new season with such a young basketball team and we've been spoiled across the board but particularly big blue nations been spoiled by so many freshmen coming in and having such immediate success right away that's the exception danny that's not the rule you're absolutely right it is the tough jump especially when you come in at his age because he's a little bit younger than a normal freshman and they get handed the reins to an offense the kentucky wildcats that's a huge undertaking and he's he's learning he's getting better and i'm excited to see how he continues to improve the sec play you saw some pearls of wisdom or something like that being imparted by coach calipari to ask you on the bench rougey too strong on that three great defense by kentucky now they've got to come up and get the ball reversed try to get it inside get a paint touch or attack the rim somewhere somehow open look for sar and it rims out fought for and kept alive into the arms of trey train mann needs to get himself going to help his team feel good about what's going on offensively oh terrific hustle play by garuji above the rim rougey has made his presence felt on this one as the alley-oop is thrown down mints to soar good finish great pass back and forth action sec play in gainesville florida as the 15-footer doesn't go down kentucky needs to push the ball up and let's see if we can get another easy [Applause] shot [Music] [Applause] here's topping going to work look you put it in the spin cycle but a bit out of control for the rhode island transfer yeah that was a tough shot right there like the ball movement from florida get the ball from one side of the court to the other throw it in the post kick it back out [Applause] that will be the step back three degree of difficulty very high but appleby knocks it down anyway yes he did very tough shot pretty good defense as well fabulous game in the loss to alabama on tuesday night first sec loss of the year for the gators inside out action tsar catches the ball finds an open guy across the court for a knockdown shot nice confidence by top and two not bashful about putting him up here as he comes off the bench that's trey mann right there you've got to put your head down and go make something happen we come back a little history lesson for the cats and gators that's next [Music] back in gainesville florida kevin connors coach danny manning some rich basketball history with both of these programs certainly florida in recent years kentucky all time how about some notable first-year steve williams first black scholarship player to play with the gators back in 1971 tom payne they called him the next louis cinder when he signed at kentucky back in 1970 and then reggie warford in 1976 kentucky's first african-american player to graduate danny we're talking about all three of these things happening in the 1970s that's the not too distant past as we continue to make strides towards racial equality you're absolutely right and um you know big shout out and big thanks to those pioneers because they paved the way for players like myself and players like the guys out on the court right now very well said and a great job by our crew helping us remember the past year the rich history not only of things that happened on the basketball floor whistle and a foul as scottie lewis tried to break free i think it's the second foul called on jacob you know this game has a great offensive flow to it but somebody's got to make a defensive stand to establish some type of break away from one another because right now both teams are scoring the ball exceptionally well kentucky has seven assists on eight field goals gators led 10-5 kentucky has come back the trey man on cue takes the lead right back yes he did throws the ball in bounds goes back and gets it and hits a knock down three from range down for 19 twice this season leading scorer on a florida team that has just taken a 2019 lead danny who's the flow favor right now through 10 minutes well right now i've enjoyed the way kentucky's moving to basketball but i think it favors florida because they've kind of struggled a little bit in the flow of the game and they have the lead right now so i think once they settle down and get a little bit more comfortable they might be able to extend that lead playing at home off the set inbounds it's mince comes up short and good box out by the gators sure terrific box out by omar payne we're gonna step back by man [Applause] boston pushes it up hits mints oh nice pass we've got to fix that boston second effort has it swatted away by lewis great defense push the ball up in transition here's a ball screen stop indeed a stoppage of play as you can see noah lock kind of holding his head i wonder if there might be a little blood there and the officials spotted that well part of the story for florida recently has been the play of daruji and they're doing the little things right now yes they are great effort energy play going to the offensive glass for second chance put back points those are the type of points that florida is going to need to walk away for a win today and again the training staff attending to noah lock on that florida sideline noah lop's important piece of this team he's a great catch and shoot player as payne loses the handle and kentucky looks to push the tempo yes they do great job of pushing the ball up the court ball reversal great shot from the perimeter by boston e.j boston knocks it down the 6-7 freshman out of norcross georgia he's averaging 13 points per game best on this kentucky team named to the julius irving award watch list for the best soft uh small forward in college basketball now a steal by boston the other way working on de rougey [Applause] scottie lewis wants to settle the team down see if he can run a little offense and get a good quality shot right here [Applause] wyatt start for lewis scoring the basketball but he tries a 17-footer and continues to be shut out [Applause] kentucky has a lot of success when able to move the ball from one side of the court to the other then attack and find the driving lane [Music] you're sore going to work [Music] and he finds the roll nice drive nice finish nice touch six points through 12 minutes for olivier tsar who if he's playing well you kind of get the sense that that's going to open things up danny a lot more for the guys on the perimeter oh it absolutely will but you know the way florida's running their offense he's going to wear down a little bit he's got to play ball screen defense almost every possession appleby a contested three look at daruji we've called his name a lot in this first half great effort great hustle by borussia he brings energy generating behaviors time and time again explain that danny what does that mean he brings something that's outside of scoring the basketball an offensive rebound a stop a deflection an altered side of block shock those are energy generating behaviors that bring juice and energy to your team we've brought juice and energy to florida when we come back sharing is caring what that means for kentucky that's next a four-point kentucky lead danny manning a team that had struggled to score the basketball it helps when shots are going down absolutely right but great ball movement catching the ball in rhythm and knocking down shots getting to the rim forcing help throwing lobs to the rim that's great unselfish basketball ten made field goals for kentucky through the first 12 minutes of this game and danny john calipari looking down that stat sheet seeing eight assists that's got to bring a smile to his face oh which sure does but i'll tell you what both those coaches are looking at their teams and we got to get some stops we got to stream together some stops because right now both teams are very comfortable offensively what's worked for florida here when they've had success on offense well to me i think it's jerushi making energy generating plates offensive rebounds straight-line drives things like that give his team juice and i really like what he brings to the table [Applause] down to 10 on the shot clock good feed by castleton and you called for it the rougey nose second effort by castleton yes great ball movement reverses it down to the baseline throws it to a cutting derussy at the rim the whistle was on the daruji attempt [Music] and so it sends the junior forward out of germantown maryland to the free-throw line and danny you talk about energy-generating plays this guy's been his own five-hour energy in the first half absolutely seven points three rebounds tremendous effort [Music] [Applause] young man who just a few games ago was coming off of mike white's bench he started the game at vanderbilt he had 11 points three blocked shots followed that up with a 16 point game against lsu and suddenly with efforts like these deruji is a regular in the lineup cante johnson went down he moved into bigger minutes and he's accepted those and excelled with them well we continue to invite you to join us here for great football action sunday one eastern abc and espn the wildcard game ravens and titans a fantastic matchup and then of course monday night 8 eastern on espn and really frankly every espn platform the college football national championship game alabama and ohio state have you given much thought danny to who do you like in that national championship game ohio state i just like him for some reason i don't know why but i just like it a lot of reasons to like him especially after that performance against clemson they ran the football so well alabama that tremendous offense that should make for a great national championship game [Music] askew finding mints brooks all the way keon brooks nice straight line driving great finish at the rim [Applause] again if you're just joining us keon brooks medically cleared to return after missing the first nine games with a left leg injury and what a weapon he is now for john calipari great defense by ascu picks the pocket gives it up and in and out of the hands of brooks last touched by the gators i like ashke's mindset but i think he could have just gone ahead and laid that basketball in but he wanted to give the unselfish play to his teammate brooks yeah look at chianti johnson there number one it's just flat out great to see him back on the bench there for the florida gators of course ruled out for the season he had that scary incident back in december in tallahassee where he collapsed on the floor he was hospitalized for some time but it's so great to see that young man back and a part of this program oh absolutely and he was the best returning player in this conference this year they're going to miss him but it's great to see him on the sideline cheering his team on coaching his fellows onto victory meantime isaiah jackson all the way and the freshman forward out of pontiac michigan's giving the cats good minutes an opportunity to convert a three-point play very athletic young man he's a slasher he slashes to the basket he gets to the rim great athlete i love his second bounce and he makes things happen because of his athleticism and skill set [Applause] too strong on the free throw kentucky the 28-24 lead and the cats started conference non-conference play one and five one and six rather on the year but they've won their first two games in sec play trying to stay undefeated here one of three remaining undefeated teams in sec play great defense to stand right there by kentucky guys diving on the floor for loose balls that's the type of energy and activity you definitely want to see if you coach cap ask you thought about it once took the better shot and again tried to be kept alive by isaiah jackson but last touched by the kentucky big danny here's the new normal right i mean you know what we've got to change things because of covid no more traditional bench everyone's spread out there but obviously still a part of things yeah you know what the bench play or the guys not in the game extremely important because they can give their team juice and energy by their enthusiasm by cheering for their teammates and communicating to their teammates about what they see that is happening out on the court and the same thing on the kentucky sideline and they're up and cheering the block there by isaiah jackson who again as you look across the stat line it may not pop off the page but he's been an active player absolutely here's to rougey and it's gobbled up by brooks brooks has played very well in the minutes that he's received so far welcome addition danny look at the bench numbers there by kentucky 14 of their 28 points coming from the bench as mintz knocks down the three kentucky now four of five from behind the arc they've opened up their largest lead of this first half kentucky's offense is really flowing very well especially when they get the ball moved from one side of the court to the other then attack the defense [Applause] [Music] here's glover trying a three and that goes down quez glover florida needed that shot that's a big knockdown shot now they got to come back and get a stop on the defensive end it's a gators team number one in the sec both in field goal percentage and near the top of the league and points per game kentucky's done a good job bottling them up but now a steal by glover the other way great defensive stand right there now they've got to figure out a way to get another good shot florida they're long they're athletic they're a top 10 team in the country in blocking shots and they're going to move into a more up-tempo game here's lock all the way second effort by castleton and it's cleared by brooks game that's seen the play stoppage because of a net issue inside the o'connell center as isaiah jackson knocks down another one and kentucky has not missed a beat since that stoppage they're doing a terrific job of catching the ball with their eyes up and finding interior guys that are wide open here's glover knifing his way into the paint castleton has it jostled away and ascu goes the other way devin ask you all the way to the rim spiked out of bounds by daruji but it'll stay kentucky basketball one of the notable moments of the start of this year some of the words of john calipari who double down on it again sometimes you have to hit rock bottom is it rock bottom yet i have no idea we're coming back after this aau circuit and he can do it all he scores he facilitates he plays with the swag and he's going to bring a certain energy level to that auburn team who could use it it's not been the traditional start for auburn obviously in what's been a complicated season no postseason for bruce pearl's team kentucky fans know about complicated seasons right but they may be starting to find their way 2-0 in league play six-point lead here as the shot by allen gets caught between the rim and the backboard there's been a lot of talk danny in this first half about that rim and that backboard huh absolutely that's one of your better shooters and you love to see him get an open look he was just off the mark a little bit to the right and stuck it in between the rim and the backboard i've been there before so not that often now we should point out not that often for a guy who won the naismith and wooden award a national championship with danny in the miracles back in 1988. all right kentucky's shooting the ball well from the perimeter they can't fall in love with that jump shot [Music] great defense by boston aggressive play as the cats look to push names off balance and a tough shot by davion mintz really tough nice right-handed drive kind of floated away from the back very soft touch balance scoring for kentucky mints has eight allen and sar six apiece boston with five kentucky with an eight point lead largest of this first half kentucky's done a nice job on scottie lewis too yes they have here scotty's got to be a little bit more aggressive in trying to drive lanes and get to the rim just one field goal attempt here so far for scottie lewis scotty's a very patient player he's not going to force it but getting on the offensive glass and getting out on the break will help them out a little bit [Applause] [Music] [Applause] you can hear cal shouting five to shoot it mince does and the rebound into the arms of castleton you know kentucky trying to run offense and they run the shot clock all the way down that hasn't always been the case they are trying to run offense and get some really good looks and that's worked for him so far this game [Music] [Applause] here's osifo working on sauron again strong defense by soar five to shoot it appleby gives it up kesselton beats the buzzer in a fortuitous play by the gators way to stick with it kentucky was flying around defensively florida continue to move the ball get it into the paint and get it up on the rim maybe before the shot clock they're going to take a look at it daddy i thought he got it off just in time the reigning sec player of the week and that's that boy that's got to be deflating for kentucky who did such a great job defensively on that possession you're right those types of plays are deflating but you know if you get in your mind if we make them score at the end of the shot clock or shoot at the end of the shot clock every possession i like our chances down the road here it is with the shot clock and game clock you see behind them oh he got it off did get it off yes he did so they'll go under the hood so to speak as we saw in the bills colts game and the waning moments of that game the officials took their time not sure they got it right there nevertheless buffalo went on to win that game and the officials here trying to make sure they get things right in what has been a very tightly contested first half danny oh absolutely you know the one thing i really liked about that particular possession is florida they're getting the ball to the paint they're getting the ball to the paint they're making kentucky's bigs rotate over then they're trying to drop it off to their bigs well the national championship game presented by a t alabama and ohio state it comes your way monday eight eastern five pacific we've got you covered on every platform tv radio digital you can plop down on the couch pull yourself up in front of your flat screen tv have second screen viewing on your phone your tablet have an earbud in listen to it on the radio as well alabama ohio state in what's been a most unusual season in college football but we will crown a national champion on monday all right so a minute to go here in this first half as the officials try to figure out whether or not castleton got that shot off in time so what's john calipari telling his team danny defensively let's play defense with our head and our feet let's make sure we can test the shot and clean up the possession with a rebound florida on the other hand they want some ball movement they want to get the ball from one side of the court to the other they want to try to get to the basket to score and maybe even draw a foul to kind of slow down the rhythm and momentum of kentucky as we suspected the basket does in fact count so it stays a six point game kentucky shooting 50 from the field through 19 minutes of action they beat the press boy you don't see pressing much in college basketball anymore but the gators have utilized that yeah and i like that now it's probably down to 15 seconds for kentucky to run offense and try to score here's allen [Music] great rebound outside of his area to himself and now they're going to push it up i'm going to play for one here about a seven second difference between game clock and shot clock although suddenly the clock stopped running so lucky us another delay free timeout for the coaches they're enjoying that coach white now has a chance to draw up a play sees what kentucky's doing playing against him when he was at louisiana tech he was one of the best in the league coming out of timeout so drawing up some plays to get guys shots and scoring opportunities not necessarily scoring opportunity to get points he did a terrific job of that at la tech and continue to do that at florida coach cal on the other hand he's talking to his team we've got to continue to stay active defensively with our length and try to cause some type of deflection but make sure that we don't foul a jump shooter and we stay on our feet on the contest well you know we had the opportunity early on in the season to hear that what is now in college basketball circles kind of famous sound by from john calipari where he warned fans hey you know what we're going to experience some bumps along the way with this team got to be patient with this kentucky team i would say all things considered in this first half he's got to be very happy with what he's seen oh he absolutely is happy but he won't tell them that until after the game he's going to go in there at halftime and continue to challenge them and he's going to point out the mistakes he's going to encourage the good but he's going to not let them get comfortable in their play in the first half catch team that is owen 6 when scoring fewer than 64 points per game they appear to be on pace to blow past that today about 2 200 fans inside the o'connell center at billy donovan court to take this one in on what would otherwise be a packed gymnasium obviously covered the game changer on a global scale but impacting uh college basketball as well but it is good to see fans back inside the building absolutely and they're going to second half we're going to see that gator clap and they're going to get loud and they're going to bring some juice and energy to their team to help them out without question because that's a tough place to play we continue to try to straighten out the game clock issue there mike white speaking with the officials just under 30 seconds to go in this first half spread formation here balls in trey man's hands the best player for the florida gators he's got to make a decision either go get a shot or create an opportunity for someone else five to shoot man off the drive excellent defense by askew again whistle on the floor that three will not count i think they're gonna get a foul off the drive on davion mintz that was terrific defense on the ball it was very impressive staying in front rolling up ascii did a terrific job tray man is a tough cover the shot clock is off 8.6 to shoot six point kentucky lead here's man two to shoot three on the way for daruji no and the first half comes to an end [Applause] kentucky played exceptionally well on the offensive end sharing the basketball scoring the basketball florida's got to go in regroup and figure out a way to slow them down let's figure out the net situation kentucky burning them down 48 in that first half they lead by six at the break this saturday showcase presented by five hour energy you are watching the sec espn kevin connors danny manning delighted to be with you kentucky a six-point lead on the florida gators in gainesville as we get ready for the start of the second half danny it's been a story of kentucky sharing the basketball terrific job of sharing the basketball seven guys scored in that first half for kentucky great balance and great unselfishness 15 kentucky field goals they assisted on 10 of them they shot four of seven from behind the arc and you know what this for a kentucky team that has really struggled offensively at times some real positive signs here for the cavs very positive they're working hard in practice and it's starting to pay off they're starting to lock in and listen to the game plan and understand what coach kyle wants balance scoring there davion mintz leading the way with eight olivier sar with six bj boston with five and again you see the bench points a huge story and daddy florida has struggled to get out in transition they sure have but i'll tell you one thing they are doing very well rebounding the basketball they out rebounded kentucky in that first half and that needs to continue for them to have some success in the second half something else notable there were only eight fouls called in that first half so i ask you is that a product of of clean living here in this game or do guys need to start getting their elbows a little dirtier i think it's clean living right now both teams only shot two here's de rougey who is such a active presence for the gators in that first half baseline drive off the mark by appleby great job of getting to the paint just got to be able to finish here's sar stepping over a castleton and knocking it down nifty footwork didn't step on him didn't travel you know colin's going to do a better job of holding his ground in the post eight points now for sar and that's the difference in the game here's daruji working on ascu off the window what an impressive 21 minutes of basketball from anthony de rougey great understanding where he was that i don't know if he meant to bank that in or not but they got two points out of it danny talked about it a transfer from louisiana tech who's really been pressed into bigger minutes since the incident with keante johnson as they pound it down low sar one more time that was a great post feed from keon brooks wrap around with the right hand hit sar saw goes it meets the basketball chins it and finishes strong at the rim mike white does not like the start of this one olivier sar a different story a couple of big buckets right out of the half and kentucky's lead is eight well somebody's thoughts with one of the stars of this florida team keonta johnson got off to a terrific start the sec a preseason player of the year he had the scary incident in tallahassee they had covet issues team activities were paused johnson released from the hospital before christmas they resume basketball with the gators he's back on the sidelines now keonta johnson and i misspoke earlier there's no decision yet on whether or not he will return this season danny manning he is a fantastic young man with a tremendous future in front of him one outstanding player for this gators team oh absolutely he was the best player returning in this conference and he would love to see him back out there on the court when he gets cleared he's a talented young man so many well wishes across the landscape in college basketball for the continued progress and recovery of keonta johnson coach white's changing it up a little bit going to come with some defensive pressure in the full court to try to get kentucky out of this rhythm that they are in offensively well he called that timeout like 75 seconds into the second half so i get the sense as someone who's been on the sidelines himself danny that coaches don't generally do that there was a reason he did that oh absolutely there was a reason motivated to come out and find a way to get your team going they'll keep it on this end of the floor i think they'll get a foul on castleton and again danny we've talked about it obviously you coached olivier sar he's been an impact guy for kentucky in this game he's done a great job of making himself available in kentucky he's done a terrific job of getting him the basketball and he's finishing at the rim and in the paint leading scorer for the cats he's got the first two field goals here in the second half i really like brooks maturity out there on the court he's doing a great job of getting rebounds passing the basketball and making his team better here's boston drops it off to brooks who throws it down great teamwork absolutely boston gets into the paint gets contested drops it off to brooks for a nice strong two-handed dunk 11 assists now on 18 field goals for a kentucky team who is humming offensively [Applause] appleby all the way that bucket will count and a chance for a three-point play that was nice little clear out iso on the right-hand side hesitation go explodes with the nice scoop shot high off the glass another one of the many players as you see the dominance at kentucky under john calipari when the cats lead by double digits at the break tyree appleby another one of the players in college basketball basketball who tried the transfer market played at cleveland state sat out last year and he's really been a weapon here in gainesville absolutely had 18 points last tuesday against alabama [Applause] here's mann working on askew [Applause] seven to shoot down low castleton misses the chippy great offense great footwork to get the shot got to reward yourself when you catch it that close to the basket where they are really looking to go through tsar yes they are on this catch it was a double team oh my gosh really really nice athleticism by keon brooks up and under the alley-oop attempt for lewis a bit too high and even scottie lewis can't soar to bring that in danny keon brooks has been fabulous sharing the basketball he gets into the paint drops it off strong finish great teamwork coach kyle is loving that on the sidelines well look you know what we've harped on it throughout this is such a young team still and again it's just nine games in we expect the immediate success another feed backdoor mints lays it up and in and this team is maturing right before our eyes hard drive to the middle of the court baseline cut the defender loses sight of his man for an easy reverse layup the lead has ballooned to 12. kentucky's so active on both ends of the floor forcing yet another turnover good offense leads to better defense leads to more energized defense and right now this kentucky team is energized florida's got to kind of regroup figure out a way to get a really good shot offensively and they got to stream together some stops on the defensive end [Applause] a kentucky team that started the year with the win over morehead state they lose to a really good richmond team out of the atlantic 10 and then to kansas as well the one that jumped off the page a bit was the georgia tech loss and you start saying uh oh maybe this is really going in the wrong direction after that notre dame north carolina louisville but they've stabilized here mississippi state the win vanderbilt last time out and they are playing at a high level today here in gainesville i say uh lincoln comes out for deflection in transition in and out of the hands of boston i get the sense you can live with those when you're sharing it the way kentucky is 14 assists on 20 field goals davion mintz and the cats lead it by 12. well a left leg injury kept keon brooks out the first nine games of the season danny but in his debut he's done everything he sure has he's given him great energy scoring the ball at the rim he's rebounding he's passing the basketball he is a welcome sight for the kentucky wildcats and coach kyle filled up that box score eight points on four or five shooting he's blocked his shot he's got a steal four assists three rebounds and i think that sound you're hearing is maybe the rest of the sec saying uh oh kentucky's kind of figured something out yes this young man is a very talented all-around player and he is displaying that in his first game this year and i know you've been impressed too with the play of devin askew who was asked to come in and sort of be the floor leader for this kentucky team didn't happen right away but you like what he's done today absolutely pushing tempo getting the team in offense and really working hard on the defensive end that's a tough matchup trey mann fires the three another missed three for florida great tip out by omar payne to give his team another possession [Music] there's locke who can't get it going a whistle and a floor as pain was active on the offensive glass he sure was he got a hand on that and saw was holding him down low and the official caught him [Applause] [Music] [Applause] more pain the sophomore out of cassini florida seven foot five inch wingspan he's a threat on the defensive end still emerging offensively florida needs someone to emerge offensively dan because the usual suspects have not played well you're right trey man has scored the ball fairly well dorougey you know payne needs to get himself going and scotty lewis as well those two guys have got to get some easy ones either get to the free throw line or get out on the break and get an easy layup to see the ball go in the basket [Applause] two misses from the free-throw line for the gators who continue to trail by 12. and some activity and the officials with a double foul call there looked to be on sar and i think on pain as well yes yes that's what happens when you got two big guys fighting for real estate in the paint reminder the national championship comes your way monday eight eastern alabama the nation's number one dominant from the beginning of the season until this point ohio state the late start but of course the victory over clemson and the college football semifinal and they will have a chance to play for a national championship and now some barking at john calipari there by the officials it's three fouls on saw he's gonna have to take a seat lance ware checks into the ball game what's your opinion danny of the of the double falco i know not everyone likes that sort of a cop-out for the officials what do you think i'm not a fan of it i think you can just pull those guys to the side and say hey listen guys let's clean it up i think that's the same outcome a three rattles in again for davion mintz [Applause] well last time out against mississippi state john calipari was active he got into it working at the officials cal didn't see the end of that game but you know what good things started to happen now i'm not drawing an equation between the two tandy but danny but maybe it's kind of like you know what sometimes in in in other sports where we see guys get thrown out of the game trying to spark their team maybe that's the case here uh i believe that was the case i don't know if that was the intended consequence but that's definitely what happened but whatever it's been that he's been saying to the officials or his team it's worked yeah they're playing very well right now they're in a good rhythm and they're very unselfish with the ball movement the mints have been playing spectacular three on the way by ask you it goes down and kentucky firing on all cylinders yes they are ashu's playing the game the right way and gets rewarded by making a tough contested shot danny they're shooting 55 percent from the floor 55 from three six of 11. offensively they're in a great rhythm right now florida's got to regroup and make sure they come out and do a better job of contesting shots and they're doing a terrific job of rebounding the basketball they're out rebounding kentucky but they've got to slow that rhythm down they got to be a little bit more disruptive on the defensive end you know it's one thing to say that a team is struggling offensively it's another thing to say that they're solving it on the fly and you got to go way back to the last time kentucky started like this i mean houdini was performing the last time danny kentucky got off to a three and six star we hadn't even had really route 66 in place yet what we're saying is it's been a while since this basketball rich program has slumped like this out of the gates uh yes it has been a very long time and the kentucky faithful still aren't happy with that yes it's been like a hitchcock-like start to the season for the cats but boy they are impressing through 25 minutes on the road here in gainesville that's right they are [Music] in the midst of a 10 nothing run what can florida do to get flow offensively just got to come down execute get a good shot get something going to the basket get to the free throw line see the ball go in the hoop five to shoot glover contact on the floor as he went body to body with lance ware it's a great drive way to get to the basket now they get a chance to score with the clock stop and also set their defense about what they want to do coming out figuring out a way to get a stop or be more disruptive oh on the floor not even shooting good set inbound and kesselton is there to throw it down mike white one of the best coming out of any situation based on out of bounds or timeouts great offensive set [Applause] castleton got off to a fast start and again you're seeing uh pressure being put on by by florida yeah they're trying to change the flow of the game try to get kentucky out of their rhythm and it worked [Applause] as man gives it up a whistle and a foul on the floor it will be called against the cats danny here you go again the set inbound back pick and another back pick noah lock says two back picks and the last one finishes with colin counselton at the rim castleton at the fast start four points in the early going those were his first two since early in the first half same play didn't work this time no a lot catches in the corner goes to work on boston here's daruji [Applause] man knifing his way to the basket great effort man fouled on the attempt and you're seeing florida try to get back into it behind hustle plays danny absolutely that's an energy generating play right there they're gonna find some juice from that play and figure out a way to get some stops defensively the shots aren't falling but that doesn't mean the effort doesn't have to be there and man aggressively trying to forge uh the gators back into this game yes sir get to the free throw line gotta reward yourself when you get there make this one now you set your defense and probably apply some more full court pressure again it was almost it was almost unusual to see florida with their full court pressure in the first half and then on the last possession why don't teams press as much anymore danny well i think it's a preference of the coach and also has to do with the skill set or athleticism of your team well it works for the second straight possession another kentucky turnover yes that's what you want to see if you're coach white your team scrapping on the defensive end coming up with the basketball now you got to run good offense figure out a way to score so you can get that defense set once again well and you know what look i mean that's part of it right when when teams don't press as much anymore you don't work on beating a press in practice it's to me it's a strategy i'm surprised we don't see as much utilized obviously especially when teams are down big i agree with you definitely agree with you on that one and spacing has to be good also and that spacing wasn't quite right for kentucky that particular possession gators team that trailed by 18 moments ago man gives it up to rougey with five to shoot muscles his way but he comes up short good offense to get the shot in the paint you gotta finish it they walled up and did a good job contested now kentucky's gonna slow it down and run offense get the ball reverse from one side of the court to the other [Applause] cats led by six at the half they've led by as many as 18. here's askew good looking shot by devin askew nice pull-up going to the left [Applause] freshman guard out of sacramento has five points couple of assists that's what noah lock does catch and shoot player terrific set up by trey mann got into the paint found the open man first field goal of the game for noah lock it comes nearly 28 minutes into the game and it trims the lead down to 14. florida's got to play defense now with their head and their feet stay in front of the ball contest the shot and finish the defensive possession with a rebound [Applause] such an efficient game for kentucky on both ends of the floor as topping is not able to get it off and you know what signs of life on this florida team defensively they had a couple of big stops here the last few possessions that is a great defensive possession to force a shot clock violation the winner gets a brand new car every cent 100 percent of the proceeds goes to the v foundation any for a guy who's on the mount rushmore here at espn but he's on the mount rushmore of life for all of the work dick vitale has done in the battle against cancer absolutely terrific work by dick van tal and everyone associated with him i've had a chance to be a part of that and once everything goes back to normal it is a must do it's a bucket list item to be a part of that gala i think vital bob wishousen were supposed to be a part of this game tonight audio issues have pressed myself and danny manning into action and we've enjoyed what's been an entertaining game from gainesville as the gators try to claw their way back in behind noah lock that was a nice finish with the right hand at the rim against the length of kentucky now they're turning up the defensive pressure trying to speed kentucky up into another turnover look at the second effort and the finish by isaiah jackson athletic athletic above the rim strong finish jackson has played well off the bench with four points here's a long three by lock and here he goes the other way big time throw down by keon brooks beyond brooks johnny on the spot loose ball comes away with it for an easy fast break bucket for the kentucky wildcats just when it seemed florida was getting back into this game consecutive turnovers and now a third on three straight possessions and the cats have upped the lead to 16 again just a little miscommunication appleby comes off he runs a tight curl colin castleton thought he was popping out and threw it to where he thought he was going to be let's take a look at tonight's wendy's wooden watch luca garza looks second in division one in scoring danny he came into the season as a guy who would be the preseason favorite to take home the trophy that you own yourself i don't think he's done anything to give us the impression that he's not the guy to do it again right now he is definitely the front runner for this award without question [Applause] now can he take home a naismith award like you did yourself you took home the double-double that year back in 1988 right yes 88 i believe he can he's having a terrific year and he continues to improve that's a deep iowa team they get perimeter scoring in addition to what he can give you down low and on the perimeter himself fran mccaffrey's team of force in that big ten yes they are a nice strong move ripped through to the baseline finished with the up and under terrific athletic move by mr jackson isaiah jackson has been a revelation as kentucky has a chance to push this lead to 19. catches the ball reads the defenses on the top side attacks to the baseline terrific athleticism nice english and spin off the glass [Applause] jackson a young man who has been a force rebounding the basketball they haven't gotten the scoring from him like they've seen in this game but again tremendous balance here mints with 13 brooks with 10. jackson with nine stars in double figures terrific balance for the wildcats this outing seven to shoot and again strong defense kentucky is one of the leading shot blocking teams in the country and they displayed that on this possession mints gives it up and it's tipped out of bounds by trey mann but that kentucky defense has been a factor all afternoon yes yes they're long they're athletic they're one of the biggest teams in the country as well [Music] lock checks back into the game replacing scottie lewis who danny ofer won no points simply put mike white's got to get more from one of his best players there he absolutely does scottie brings effort and energy need a little more production out of him in terms of getting on the offensive glass or getting out on the break he's a do everything type of player and when he checks back in i'll look for him to be a little bit more aggressive there's boston off the glass and it goes down b.j boston's up to seven points nice touch off the glass good feel on that shot and this is a very good game for bj boston nice drop off castleton though can't finish that was a very nice patch by trademark florida had cut the lead to 12 but since then kentucky has gone on a nine-nothing run florida's in the danger zone right now they've got to come up with a stop or some multiple stops to get back into this ball game here's brooks he's had a splendid game gives it up gets it back from jackson keon brooks one more time nice two-man game in the paint brooks and jackson throwing the ball back and forth to each other until someone found an angle to get to the bucket [Applause] danny you turned this game on you hadn't seen a kentucky basketball game before this you say wait problem what problem with this team they're they're having their best game of the year by a lot yes they are they're doing a terrific job of scoring the basketball sharing the basketball moving it from side to side offensively and then defensively they're playing defense with their head their feet their contesting shots are getting deflections or getting out on the break this is a very good showing for kentucky today [Applause] we touched on a bit earlier with obviously the the the emergence of sharif cooper there at auburn alabama has gotten off to a nice start here to the year where where do these two teams kentucky and florida fit in your opinion in the sec landscape when it's all said and done these two teams will be in the upper echelon of the fcc without question they're well coached and they're very talented in florida you know they're coming off of pause they're coming off of losing their best player they're going to figure things out as they continue to move through sec play a lot of people think maybe right now tennessee is the team to beat ball's team that knocked off texas a m in college station earlier today by 14 but yeah you know you're right i mean it's it's it's tennessee it's florida it's kentucky alabama again has gotten off to a nice start lsu maybe in some ways a little bit of a sleeper team certainly cam thomas is playing outstanding basketball yes but every night in the sec is going to be a dog fight for most teams in most games anything can happen in the conference play and right now kentucky's trying to find their way and according to what we've seen in this game they're doing a terrific job of understanding exactly what coach kyle wants [Applause] as boston knocks down the second he's up to nine points [Applause] very good floor game for boston as well rebounding the basketball and also a few assists trey mann tries a three and now devin askew is going to reset this offense part of a 13-0 run kentucky has been on in the last four minutes kentucky's done a really good job of executing their offense and having good patience as well moving the ball from side to side and sharing the basketball long three by brooks you can see the confidence there with the way he's played in this game the shot clock was running low but that was a long three that time yes it was very deep here's daruji straight on great rebound by omar payne and the tomahawk strong finish i love that effort and energy by omar payne to give his team an extra possession and deruji gets rewarded with a strong finish at the rim for all this pressure they're going to try to turn kentucky over make them uncomfortable be a little bit more disruptive than they've been and it's working kentucky's playing way outside the scoring area right now again to your point danny only too happy to bleed some of this clock in front by 23 on the road looking to move to 3-0 in conference play here's brooks three on the way front rim by dante allen doesn't go that was great defense about florida now they got to come down and get a bucket here's daruji again straight on the threes that were falling in the first half just not falling right now kentucky's doing a very good job and bleeding the clock moving the ball from side to side [Applause] [Music] [Applause] now we gotta go make a play right here five to shoot here's brooks working on glover dribbles it off his foot and a shot clock violation terrific defense by glover stayed in front of the ball got up under the bigger offensive player and college of turnover we come back no dicky v on the broadcast but we're going to run down a little history lesson with dick eve that's coming up next [Music] big kentucky lead here on january 9 2021 uh a walk down a memory lane here on this date 1839 the first photograph of a person was taken in 1953 devo francis goes for 116 against rio grande whose man was that i don't know that was the 43-point line and then the big o oscar robinson 56 points against seton hall phenomenal day by the big o and then 2007 apple announcing its first iphone i think we're up to edition 12 here you can look at the contact section on dickie v's iphone there's no one you can't find as we go down memory lane by the way bebo france is a third round pick i mean who was taken ahead of the guy that scores 116. i don't know what was your best day in college i was in the 40s for a man that scored roughly what 2700 points in your college career somewhere they're about give or take a point or two [Music] look at that second half field goal is only six for the gators [Applause] seven to shoot it doesn't go down for jackson on a day where just about everything else has great man got hit in that little dust up in the paint hopefully he's okay [Music] [Applause] well it's been a tough day anyway you slice it for trey mann he's two of nine from the field he just took what looked like maybe was an elbow there or some sort of a collision with his head and he heads back to the locker room now [Applause] yeah he's had a tough day scoring the basketball but you know he's their leading rebounder he's got six right now doing a terrific job there and three assists in 31 minutes so when he comes back out he's got to be a little bit more aggressive in the offensive end so as they tend to another issue on the court there inside the o'connell center we have a little bit of a break a lot of things that kentucky can take from this game and build upon and we talked about it earlier the ball movement and sharing the basketball well you're papa john's best stuff from this one danny it's stuffed with some terrific kentucky highlights and what's been a breakout performance for them absolutely playing above the rim with strong finishes at the back [Applause] so many contributors today whether it's been boston or tsar or jackson brooks brooks has been terrific in his first game of the year yes this has been a fun game to watch if you're a kentucky wildcats fan because they're starting to put it all together conversely from the florida side it's a gators team that started sec playoff with consecutive victories but they lose against alabama on tuesday and i think coming into this one mike white was hoping that things might be different and that has not been the case at all here but again mike white danny it's like back to the drawing board now right yeah he's got to go back and challenge his team to come out and execute a little bit better on both ends of the floor and they will definitely do that because he's a great coach and these are very talented young men that are very unselfish scottie lewis baseline for his first field goal of the game maybe that'll get them going on the offensive end kentucky breaks the pressure good job good understanding of where you're at in the game by boston by pulling it back out and running high ball screen for ascu he comes off probes a little bit oh beautiful basketball gorgeous feed by jackson to topping [Applause] how much do you think it means to that guy on the sideline right there right yes and a whistle and a foul on bj boston one of the few things that hasn't gone kentucky's way in this second half they've opened up a 23 point lead espn this exclusive presentation of college basketball is presented by five hour energy shots get it done and a long day in gainesville florida today for the gators who find themselves on the short end of a blowout right now kentucky's come out and played exceptionally well this florida gator team they're very talented and this is not the florida gator team that we will see at the end of sec play i can promise you that because coach white is a terrific coach and they are going to change things up and get it going in a different direction as we move forward well and again it speaks to look we're in league play now right i mean and you know you could make this case across the board in college basketball but especially in power leagues like the sec i mean this is what it's going to be like on a night and night out basis and that goes for home games danny i mean there are 2 200 or so people at this game right now but the fact of the matter is home road games not too big of a difference this year you're right you know because a lot of times when you're playing at home you feed off that energy and juice from the crowd and you're not able to get that as much as you have been in the past so you got to bring that from within you got to bring that from your bench and the guys out on the court second of two free throws is good by rujensev florida's got to extend pressure now they got to be really aggressive in the passing range and try to create a deflection and come up with the turnover and great pressure there tipped out of bounds by appleby [Applause] tough spot to throw the ball in at right now spot to roll in and later tonight 9 eastern espn pac-12 battle ucla and arizona no postseason for the wildcats but that hasn't stopped them from playing good basketball ucla trying to figure out what the landscape looks like in the pac-12 as well not the same oregon team we've seen in years past the colorado team that looks very good with mckinley wright running the point much like many leagues in college basketball right now danny that league's wide open yes it is wide open the pac-12 very talented teams and i'm excited to see the mobley boys continue to flourish the mobley boys at usc have picked up their play lately pac-12 very much wide open we've talked about the sec being a wide open league as well and you know one thing i wanted to ask you about danny this kentucky team uh with so many one-and-dones over the years we've seen some programs who've had one-and-dones in recent years programs like duke arizona this kentucky team that haven't gotten off to the starts that we're used to them getting off to as you take a look at the sec standings here do we attribute that to anything in particular well i think you're attributed to the level of play that they're moving up to you're talking about young high school kids moving up to the college setting and it's a different level there's more athleticism they're more talented players they're great coaches and they're great environments that you usually have a chance to play in and it's just it takes an adjustment and right now kentucky they're working through that adjustment with their younger players but to me keon brooks coming back and having the game that he's having is somebody that can definitely be a common influence on this team so what you're saying is as the three rattles home for rajutsu who's got four points off the bench what you're saying is that there aren't zion williamson's and karl anthony towns in every class is that right correct not in every class every other class maybe i didn't have any questions [Music] if you're looking for positives samson uh rujensev off the bench has been one uh for florida here [Applause] as the gators are in many ways still trying to figure out great hands by scotty lewis pushes the ball up in transition as lewis had it batted away and here come the catch the other way on the break up and under wild shot by topping floyd's got to push the ball up and get a bucket and get their defense set again [Applause] here's rusev losing the handle gets it [Applause] back down to seven a shoot here's lewis steps into one great hustle dived on the floor future team possession of the basketball now kentucky's got to run some clock get the ball moved from side to side and then attack florida needs to turn up the pressure defensively and come up with a deflection or turnover scotty's coming up to trap the basketball good trap makes kentucky call a timeout an alert play by devin askew to call the timeout some of the sec story lines here in this season kentucky tennessee both ranked in the top 25 pre-season poll three teams now finding their way in the top 25 and the emergence of some standout players ken thomas the outstanding freshman scottie pippen jr doing big things in benedict absolutely scottie pippen jr made some terrific plays for that vanderbilt team this year and then cam thomas that young man can score the basketball [Applause] [Music] well again you can look at the record overall and see three and six and obviously that is so foreign to kentucky and big blue nation but guess what danny we're in conference play now the cats are atop the standings at 3-0 yes they are and continuing to have performances like this they're gonna continue to win ball games because they played a really good overall unselfish ball game and it's really nice to see based upon how they came out starting the season one and six well and look you know what you know we've had the opportunity to highlight so many different players on this kentucky team i know you've been impressed with devin askew today but to me with keon brooks back in the lineup for john calipari and what he gives kentucky in so many different facets of the game that that that is a difference maker for this team it sure is because he can score the basketball he rebounds he's a good play maker for his size and he's very unselfish applebee trims the lead down to 16 as the gators continue to apply the full court pressure check and get another trap come up with a deflection get another score try to tighten up the screws a little bit on kentucky here mints lobs it oh boston tried to get his hands on it to throw it down but he was butchered along the way omar payne doing a good job of protecting the rim games like this you don't want teams to get comfortable throwing lobs on you you go up and you try to stop that from happening omar payne definitely did that just grabbed a little bit too much body in the process it sends the freshman bj boston to the line and you know you'll look at the box score and you'll say not an eye-popping line for boston nine points four rebounds three assists but his continued emergence and that of others and his ability to get other guys playing better basketball so big i thought this floor game was really good good patience good understanding a few assists defensively he was active and he just let the game come to him and good things happen when that when you do play like that here's rujensev rattles one home again samson rujensev is making a case to see some more minutes here down the stretch he's played very well in the second part of this second half yes he has he's come in the ball game and giving kentucky some juice a little bit of life we all know he's a capable shooter [Music] askew splits the double boston takes it all the way look at the second effort by keon brooks i don't know that that's going to count i think they get a foul as boston uh took it to the basket well you know what dick vitale's the lost season one book 29.99 two books 39.99 dickie b's mount rushmore's and college basketball you can head to dickbytel.com all proceeds benefit the foundation i i'm reading the promo earlier and i'm thinking back in your playing days dickie v must have been a huge part of college obviously in the 1980s and again one of the mount rushmore what are your memories of dickey v coming into the fog to broadcast danny manning games the energy that he brings the passion that he brings you know when the game is over you're rushing home to turn on the tv to hear him to feel that passion to feel that energy and he's been so good for the game of college basketball and what he's doing for the young people that are struggling in our world today so impressive of a young man very thankful that i've had the opportunity to spend a little time with him and he's a great guy as as myself someone who's been with this company for 13 years i tell you what the as we take a look at the replay of what happened on this last possession what dick vital means to espn simply cannot be overstated he is a fixture here at this network he is a fixture in college basketball the ambassador for the game and again the work that he's done with cancer and the v foundation and raising money to help fight that dreaded disease and find a cure it has been absolutely remarkable and he is he's a saint and he is on the mount rushmore of espn absolutely no question about it we otherwise would have heard dicky v today along with bob with susan some gremlins getting in the system prime time player baby pt we've seen pt peers across the board these kentucky wildcats today yes they have been terrific tough spot to catch the basketball kind of coffins corners what we call that in the basketball world florida reaches in and fouls stops the clock and speaking of the v foundation and the battle with cancer one of the big story lines that you'll take away from this weekend what went down in morgantown west virginia today and andrew jones young man at texas who battled leukemia he is now cancer-free it's the game-winning shot to win a huge road game today danny big time shot he got his feet set rainey made a great pass to him he lines it up and he shot it with so much confidence once it released his hand it looked so good you knew it was going in the basket and that's a texas team that you know ranked number four in the country and and every they have every reason to think that they are one of the four best teams in college basketball they are they are a veteran team and they are a deep and talented team they are and shocker smart's done a terrific job in blending those guys together you add a very talented player and greg brown to the mix and they are off and rolling right now one minute to go from gainesville as appleby is fouled and bumped by askew kentucky still got to finish up the game defensively because florida's not going to stop they're going to continue to attack the basket and try to score and set up their defensive pressure a reminder that georgetown syracuse is coming up next dave o'brien seth greenberg standing by you can see that game right now over on espnu but you'll see it here on espn in 59.9 seconds [Music] mike white hasn't stopped coaching daddy not at all he's not going to into that clock he's across making it tough to get the ball in bounds [Applause] here coach kyle yellen easy slowing down one o'clock he will be only too happy to get out of gainesville with a road victory they get 13 from boston 13 from mints 12 from keon brooks in his season debut 10 for olivier ascu's played well jackson's play everyone's played well yes this has been a total team effort from the kentucky wildcats and that's the type of effort they're going to need moving forward in this tough conference [Music] look at the on ball defense the continued pressure and a foul called on applebee well you know and again we've said that florida hasn't played particularly well in this game but if you're mike white and you're watching the film of this game you know what you say hey at least i like that right absolutely you liked the fight and what i really liked about it was the player fell down and all four of his teammates sprinted over to help him up that's the type of unity that you're going to need moving forward it's a gators team that will be home to ole miss on tuesday you can see that game on the sec network as for kentucky they go on the road to see sharif cooper and the auburn tigers this coming week also visit georgia later in the week so again no off nights in this league applebee tries a 3. [Applause] 30 seconds to go is kentucky and boston on the floor to come away with it shot clock is turned off a wildcats team three and six on the season coming into this one taking on a good florida team in their building and john calipari's team puts forth their most impressive performance of the year yes they did and it was we talked about this complete team effort diving on the floor defensively deflection getting out in transition playing above the rim throwing lobs it was a very good ball game for the kentucky wildcats a 76-58 victory for the cats who now move to 3 and oh nsec play convincing win for the cats back to the drawing board for the florida gators we've got more college basketball coming up right now syracuse and georgetown dave o'brien seth greenberg on the call for danny manning i'm kevin connors thanks so much for watching

Channel: O__BALL__O

Views: 24,694

Rating: 4.9111109 out of 5

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Id: QOGHCnIiGVE

Length: 93min 12sec (5592 seconds)

Published: Sat Jan 09 2021