HOOPSWORLD | Basketball News & NBA Rumors

No. 1 Florida 84, No. 24 Kentucky 65: Patric Young led the way with 18 points and seven rebounds as the Gators wrapped up an undefeated SEC regular season by taking down the visiting Wildcats.

Casey Prather added 15 points and Scottie Wilbekin scored all of his 13 in the second half as Florida (29-2, 18-0 SEC) celebrated “Senior Day” with its 23rd straight victory. Dorian Finney-Smith contributed 11 points, six rebounds and four assists off the bench for the Gators.

Julius Randle collected 16 points and 10 rebounds to lead Kentucky (22-9, 12-6), which has dropped three of four. James Young scored 14 points and Aaron Harrison had 10 for the Wildcats.

Florida dominated the first half, shooting 61.5 percent to take a 49-28 lead into the break. It was still a 21-point gap when Kentucky began to make its move with a 15-0 run behind five points from Randle that chopped the deficit to 53-47 with just under 12 1/2 minutes to play.

Wilbekin drained a 3-pointer to end the Gators’ drought, and his free throws with just over eight minutes to play made it a 62-50 lead. The Wildcats drew as close as 65-57 on Harrison’s 3-pointer but Florida scored the next five points and finished it off down the stretch.

GAME NOTEBOOK: The Gators are the first team to go undefeated since the SEC expanded to an 18-game regular season and the first non-Kentucky school to post an undefeated regular season of any length since Alabama in 1956. … Florida’s seniors picked up their 113th victory. The school record is 117. … Randle’s double-double was his 18th on the season.