Ugonna Onyenso's career night was spoiled, but he remains optimistic: "We've never lost two times in a row."

ZGeogheganKSR

Kentucky sophomore Ugonna Onyenso had, without a doubt, the best game of his college career Wednesday night against Florida.

The 7-foot center posted personal bests in three different categories: points (13), rebounds (16), and blocks (eight). He’s the first player in program history to achieve that statline. Onyenso also chipped in two steals and shot 5-6 from the free-throw line despite coming into the game 5-11 from the stripe on the season.

Unfortunately, his monster performance was spoiled by the Florida Gators, which snuck out of Lexington with a 94-91 overtime victory. What should have been a celebratory finish for Onyenso and the Wildcats turned into an ugly loss down the stretch.

But had it not been for Onyenso’s impressive play across 33 minutes (also a career-high in his first-ever start), Kentucky likely wouldn’t have been in a position to win that game in the first place.

“I’m super, super proud of Ugo,” Freshman guard Reed Sheppard said postgame. “I thought he fought really hard, played his butt off. He was very, very big for us tonight and he gets better every day. You can just see him getting better and getting more confident. He’s in the gym working like crazy. He’s gonna continue to do that and it’s gonna help the team and help him.”

While this was easily his best game yet at Kentucky, this wasn’t exactly a one-off performance from Onyenso either. Prior to Wednesday night, he was averaging 20 minutes per game over his last five appearances. He was a key piece in the Wildcats’ road win against Arkansas last weekend, even starting the second half before finishing the game. His seven-point, 10-rebound, five-block outing against Texas A&M earlier this month was another indicator of what was to come.

“Goodness gracious, he’s playing really well, and you can tell that he is becoming more confident out there as well,” Florida head coach Todd Golden said of Onyenso.

It’s only going to get tougher for Onyenso and company, though. They’ll need more games like this from him moving forward. Up next for Kentucky is a primetime showdown against No. 5 Tennessee this Saturday back at Rupp Arena. Onyenso will likely play another 20-plus minutes as the Wildcats starting center. The big man knows what’s at stake and is already mentally preparing himself to face the Volunteers.

“I promise you we’re gonna be good,” Onyenso said. “It’s a home game, we’re gonna be good. We’re gonna go home, get this loss behind us, and prepare for the next one. We’ve never lost two times in a row this season. We’ve never done that. I don’t think Saturday’s gonna be the first.“

Much easier said than done. But another rocking atmosphere — much like the one that showed up on Wednesday night — sure would help Kentucky. Onyenso said he was feeding off of the Rupp Arena crowd against Florida. He’s hoping the fans come back with that same kind of energy this weekend and ride with this group until the end.

“Stick with us. They should stay with us,” Onyenso said in a message to the Big Blue Nation. “We win some, we lose some. But it’s unfortunate we lost at home with the kind of energy they’re giving us. I’m gonna say stick with us, we’re gonna pull through for sure. We’re still trying to get ourselves to play as one defensively. I’m gonna say stick with us. Whether we win or whether we lose, just stick with us.

“We’re close, we’re close though. We’re really close. We’re gonna get it.”