Advertisement

First place in SEC at stake when Gators visit Kentucky

 
Point guard Kasey Hill and coach Mike White will lead the Gators into Rupp Arena seeking a season sweep of Kentucky. [ANDRES LEIVA   |   Times]
Point guard Kasey Hill and coach Mike White will lead the Gators into Rupp Arena seeking a season sweep of Kentucky. [ANDRES LEIVA | Times]
Published Feb. 25, 2017

LEXINGTON, Ky. — No. 13 Florida visits No. 11 Kentucky today looking to sweep the season series and grab sole possession of first place in the SEC.

Both teams are 23-5 overall and 13-2 in the conference as they pursue the top seed in the SEC tournament.

The Gators have won nine straight, including an 88-66 rout of the Wildcats in Gainesville on Feb. 4. Kentucky has won five in a row since that loss.

But since that game, the Gators, already thin inside, have lost starting center John Egbunu for the season due to a knee injury. UF's leading rebounder protected the middle in the win over Kentucky and had eight points, seven rebounds and a block.

Sophomore Kevarrius Hayes has taken over as UF's starting center, and it seems likely that Kentucky will go right at him, trying to get him in foul trouble. Forward Devin Robinson (6-8, 200) will also have to pick up the slack inside.

"It's always about poise, especially at Rupp," Robinson said of the arena where the Gators have only won three times since 1998, the last coming in 2014. "We know we're not going to get any calls, so it's about keeping together and keeping a tight circle and trying to get it done."

Florida is strong defensively, and UK is the SEC's top-scoring team.

Canyon Barry, UF's second-leading scorer, returned to practice Thursday and should play. He played sparingly Tuesday against South Carolina because of a sprained ankle. "I don't know if he's at 100 percent," coach Mike White said, "but he's moving better than … the other day, for sure."

KANSAS: Freshman forward Josh Jackson was charged with misdemeanor criminal damage after being accused of vandalizing a woman's car outside a Lawrence bar. The District Attorney's Office said Jackson followed the woman after she threw a drink at Jackson's friend, and during an argument, about $3,100 of damage was done to the car.

faedo lifts uf baseball: Alex Faedo pitched a career-high 82/3 innings as host Florida (4-1) beat Miami 1-0 in the opener of a three-game series. "He was awfully special,'' UF coach Kevin O'Sullivan said of the former Alonso High right-hander. Jonathan India had an RBI single.

USF boots softball standout

TAMPA — USF senior centerfielder Juli Weber, the 2016 AAC player of the year, has been dismissed from the program. "This was purely a coach's decision that I felt was in the best interest of the program and the success of our team moving forward," coach Ken Eriksen said in a statement released by the school.

Times staff writer Joey Knight contributed to this report.