Florida Gators Make SEC Basketball History

09 Mar, 2014

With strands of net behind their ears, Florida seniors Casey Prather, Scottie Wilbekin, Will Yeguete and Patric Young stopped at midcourt and kissed the floor.

They stood up, started walking toward the locker room and then paused at the edge of the court. With their arms draped around each other, they took the last stride in unison. It was the first step toward the next goal – winning it all.

Young scored 18 points in his home finale and No. 1 Florida routed 25th-ranked Kentucky 84-65 on Saturday, becoming the first team in Southeastern Conference history to go 18-0 in league play.

“This is the way to go out,” Young said. “You couldn’t have scripted this one any better. … What else could you want?”

Prather (15) and Wilbekin (13) also reached double figures for the Gators (29-2, 18-0), who have won 23 straight and 32 in a row at home.

Coach Billy Donovan called timeout with 36.9 seconds remaining to get his four seniors another standing ovation. They certainly deserved this one, especially since it was Florida’s largest margin of victory in series history.

Prather, Wilbekin, Young and Yeguete have now won 113 games in four seasons, four shy of tying the school record held by Walter Hodge. They have the SEC tournament and the NCAA tournament to break the mark.

Julius Randle, who had his right knee treated during the first half, led the Wildcats (22-9, 12-6) with 16 points and 10 rebounds. James Young added 14 points, and Aaron Harrison chipped in 10.

Kentucky trimmed a 22-point deficit to 53-47 with 12 minutes to play, but couldn’t get any closer and ended up getting blown out.

“They’re that good,” Kentucky coach John Calipari said. “And if you don’t come and play, you’re going to get smashed.”

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