KSR's top takeaways from Kentucky's 71-63 victory at Florida

And just like that, Kentucky basketball’s regular season has come to a close, ending the year with a 71-63 road victory at Florida to finish with a final record of 25-6 overall and 14-4 in the SEC. As a team, the Wildcats shot 50 percent from the field (28-56) and allowed the Gators to shoot just 41 percent (25-61) and 15 percent from three (3-20).

How did the win come together? And what does it mean for the Wildcats as they look ahead to the SEC Tournament in Tampa?

Oscar Tshiebwe destroys Florida again

In the first head-to-head matchup between the Wildcats and Gators, Oscar Tshiebwe finished with an absurd 27 points on 11-18 shooting and 5-6 from the line to go with 19 rebounds, three steals and two assists. He was unstoppable, arguably one of his best performances of the season.

The next time around? 27 points on 11-17 shooting and 5-5 from the line to go with 15 rebounds, three steals and two blocks. Almost identical numbers and impact on the game, regardless of what the Florida defense tried throwing his way.

When Kentucky needed a scoring punch, Tshiebwe was a guarantee in the post. Double- and sometimes triple-teamed throughout the game, the 6-foot-9 center would catch passes and make something out of nothing, finishing on lay-ups, dunks, hook shots and mid-range jumpers with efficiency. There was a stretch to open the second half where Tshiebwe scored 11 straight points for the Wildcats, including 13 of the team’s first 17 points after the break.

His play was so impressive that it caused John Calipari to do… whatever this is:

Calipari after that Oscar dunk is…something? pic.twitter.com/YwUqrMyPXM

— Tyler Thompson (@MrsTylerKSR) March 5, 2022

Tshiebwe continues to rewrite the Kentucky basketball record books, recording his 13th straight double-double, the most for a Wildcat since the stat was first documented starting in 1967-68. It was his 25th double-double of the season, bringing him just one away from tying Dan Issel’s record of 26 double-doubles in 1969-70. He’s also the first player with seven games of 20 points and 15 rebounds since Issel (seven) in 1968-69.

It’s not just scoring and rebounding records, either. Tshiebwe is also now tied for No. 24 in school history with 58 steals in a season, joining Ashton Hagans (2019-20) and Kyle Macy (1979-80). He’s just four steals away from jumping into the top 15 and eight away from the top 10.

There has never been a player like Oscar Tshiebwe at Kentucky.

Sahvir Wheeler closes out the regular season on a high note

After failing to hit the double-digit scoring mark in six consecutive games, Sahvir Wheeler has now scored at least 13 points in each of Kentucky’s last three games to close out the regular season.

This time around, Wheeler finished with 13 points on 6-10 shooting and 1-3 from three to go with five assists, two rebounds, two steals and three turnovers in 29 minutes. He was controlled and played with poise, letting the game come to him rather than forcing the issue. As a scorer, he finished with touch at the rim, but also knocked down open jumpers when catch-and-shoot opportunities came his way.

During his impressive three-game stretch, Wheeler is shooting 53.1 percent from the field (17-32), and more importantly, 45.4 percent from three (5-11). He’s now 11 of his last 23 attempts from three (47.8 percent) dating back to January 15.

Kentucky doesn’t need Wheeler to be a knockdown shooter, but if he’s able to keep defenders honest, it makes his life much easier as the team’s primary facilitator. Teams can no longer sag off on him, allowing Wheeler to break down defenders in one-one ones and find paint touches.

Kellan Grady shows he’s more than a shooter

Kentucky’s sniper from deep has been Kellan Grady from day one, shooting 43 percent on 6.4 3-point attempts per game. Knocking down 2.7 attempts per game, it’s how Grady scores the bulk of his 11.9 points per contest.

Grady got his 11 points against the Gators, but did so on just one make from deep. Instead, the fifth-year senior looked to score off the bounce, knocking down a trio of floaters and a dunk in transition. He only took three 3-pointers, tied for his fewest number of attempts since Kentucky’s win vs. Ohio back on November 19. Grady also finished with three assists, tied for his season-high.

Kentucky will need his shooting spark from three during postseason play, but his all-around offensive effort was a plus in Gainesville.

Colin Castleton goes for 23 and 11

Florida’s Colin Castleton was a thorn in Kentucky’s side during the first head-to-head battle, putting up 18 points and seven rebounds to lead the Gators at Rupp Arena. This time around, the 6-foot-11 forward presented a very real challenge for Kentucky in the post, namely against Tshiebwe.

Length has been an issue for Tshiebwe all season long, and that was evident again Saturday afternoon against Castleton. The senior forward found success on left shoulder jump hooks and clean-up buckets while also knocking down mid-range jumpers. He finished with a team-high 23 points on 11-19 shooting to go with 11 rebounds, two steals and one block in 36 minutes.

Tshiebwe clearly won the battle, just as he did in the first matchup. Castleton, though, deserves credit for putting together a very impressive performance for the Gators.

Late-game issues continue for Kentucky

Defense wasn’t an issue for Kentucky for much of the game, holding Florida to just 39.7 percent shooting and 13.0 percent from three. In the first half alone, the Wildcats allowed just 26 points.

Like we’ve seen in recent weeks, though, late-game miscues returned to make the game closer than it should have been. Leading by as many as 16 points in the first half, Kentucky’s lead was cut to just six with 53 seconds to go, putting Florida in position to make things interesting down the stretch.

Kentucky began slowing things down with late, hoping to grind out the victory and head into postseason play with a win and at full strength. The Wildcats scored just one basket in the final five minutes, with six free throws in the final 40 seconds being the only other points scored the rest of the game. It was a stretch where UK turned the ball over four times, including one shot-clock violation.

Again, the goal was to get of out of Gainesville with a win, and Kentucky did that. It just wasn’t a blowout victory like the Wildcats proved they were capable of.

Kentucky secures No. 3 seed in the SEC Tournament

Auburn claimed the No. 1 seed with a win over South Carolina on Saturday, with Tennessee also securing the No. 2 seed with a victory against Arkansas. From there, it came down to the No. 3 or No. 4 for Kentucky. With a win over the Gators, the Wildcats would finish tied second with the Volunteers in the conference, but would be the No. 3 seed due to head-to-head tiebreakers. Lose, and they’d fall to No. 4, with Arkansas jumping ahead in the final standings.

Knocking off Florida on the road, Kentucky has locked in the No. 3 seed, with the Wildcats set to play in the late game on Friday. Tip-off is set for 8:30 p.m. ET at Amalie Arena.

The final bracket will be revealed late Saturday evening, but a semifinals rematch vs. Tennessee and a title rematch vs. Auburn are both on the table.