After leading by five points at halftime, Kentucky came out in the second half and took control of the game with a 7-0 run to start. The lead provided the Wildcats with the cushion they needed to smother the Gators defensively going on to capture a 70-54 victory and an SEC Tournament Championship.
For the Wildcats, Brandon Knight led the way with 17 points and four assists. Terrence Jones had a big second half scoring 16 points while grabbing seven rebounds. Darius Miller added 15 points for Kentucky.
The Gators were led by Kenny Boynton's 10 points while Chandler Parsons netted nine. Florida fans will point to the 29-8 advantage Kentucky held at in free throws attempted as a reason for this victory. The Wildcats were simply the more aggressive team and were able to penetrate the Florida defense seemingly at will. Kentucky did a good job of contesting Florida who never could fully get in sync offensively.
Both Kentucky and Florida now turn their attention to the NCAA Tournament where coming into this game, SB Nation's Chris Dobbertean had Kentucky projected as a four seed in the East Regional. Dobbertean had projected the Gators with a No. 2 seed in the southeast. It remains to be seen how far Kentucky can move up with this victory and where Florida will end up after the loss.