Bradshaw's 3-pointer propels No. 6 Kentucky to an 87-85 win at Florida in their SEC opener
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) Aaron Bradshaw may have earned himself the green light moving forward.
The 7-foot-1 freshman hit a 3-pointer from the top of the key with 1:27 to play - just his third of the season - and No. 6 Kentucky rallied to beat Florida 87-85 on Saturday in the first Southeastern Conference opener between the rivals in 26 years.
Bradshaw finished with 10 points and seven rebounds for the Wildcats (11-2), who won their fifth in a row and ninth in 10 games.
This one went Florida's way for most of the afternoon, right up until coach John Calipari called a shot for his big man coming out of a timeout. Bradshaw set a ball screen and then got the ball back for a straight-on trey that was nothing but net.
It silenced many of the 10,000-plus on hand in the O'Connell Center.
“It was fun. I like that," Bradshaw said. "That’s a really good team. I find it real, real gratifying. It was real fun. I’m not going to lie. It was real fun playing in front of them and against them.”
Bradshaw entered the game having made two of three from behind the arc, so the Gators knew he could shoot. But he surely wasn't atop the watch list.
“If you would have told me they were going to need a 3 from their freshman big to dagger you guys, you’d probably live with that," Florida coach Todd Golden said. "He beat us with that shot. We didn’t really beat ourselves with that shot.”
The Gators (10-4) led by as many as 11 in the first half and were up for nearly 30 of the 40 minutes. But they went cold down the stretch, going scoreless for nearly three minutes in the waning minutes, and then fell behind on Bradshaw's shot with the game tied at 76.
Kentucky never trailed again, thanks partly to Reed Sheppard hitting six free throws in the final 19 seconds to ice it.
Antonio Reeves led the Cats with 19 points, and D.J. Wagner added 14. Sheppard also had 14. Kentucky made 12 of 13 from the charity stripe after missing the front end of consecutive one-and-ones late.
“This is where you find out where you are right now," Calipari said, praising his team for never backing down in a hostile environment. “I don’t care if they’re young. They’re dogs. They have a will to win.”
Florida’s six-game winning streak came to an end. Zyon Pullin and Walter Clayton led the Gators with 23 points apiece. Riley Kugel added 15 off the bench.
But Florida got little from starters Tyrese Samuel and Will Richard. Samuel scored three points on 1-of-6 shooting, and Richard missed all eight shots and finished with two points.
Equally problematic for Golden: His team missed 10 of 11 from 3-point range after making eight - including two bank shots - in the first half.
“We missed some really good looks," Golden said. “One shot here, one turnover there is the difference. ... I thought it was a missed opportunity.”
POLL IMPLICATIONS
Kentucky could move up when the next AP college basketball rankings are released Monday.
BIG PICTURE
Kentucky: Calipari has his best team in years, one that entered the game averaging 91.1 points. The Wildcats could see that number dip in league play, but maybe not by much as evidenced by the opener.
Florida: The Gators are as talented and deep as they’ve been in a decade and will be a tough out in SEC play. They were actually favored by 3 1/2 entering the game, a clear nod to what's going on in Gainesville.
“It’s all part of the growth of where we want to get," Golden said. “But we led for 30 minutes. Shoot, that's going to sting.”
UP NEXT
Kentucky: Hosts Missouri on Tuesday.
Florida: Plays at No. 22 Ole Miss on Wednesday.
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Time | Team | Play | Score | |
---|---|---|---|---|
20:00 | Aaron Bradshaw vs. Micah Handlogten (Gators gains possession) | |||
19:42 | Walter Clayton Jr. misses three point jump shot | |||
19:40 | Tre Mitchell defensive rebound | |||
19:33 | Will Richard blocks Aaron Bradshaw's two point dunk | |||
19:31 | Tyrese Samuel defensive rebound | |||
19:20 | Tyrese Samuel misses two point layup | |||
19:18 | Aaron Bradshaw defensive rebound | |||
19:08 | +2 | Justin Edwards makes two point dunk | 2-0 | |
18:57 | +2 | Walter Clayton Jr. makes two point driving layup | 2-2 | |
18:30 | Antonio Reeves turnover (lost ball) (Walter Clayton Jr. steals) | |||
18:22 | Zyon Pullin misses three point jump shot | |||
18:20 | Tre Mitchell defensive rebound | |||
18:01 | Zyon Pullin shooting foul (Tre Mitchell draws the foul) | |||
18:01 | +1 | Tre Mitchell makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 3-2 | |
18:01 | +1 | Tre Mitchell makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 4-2 | |
17:48 | Micah Handlogten misses two point hook shot | |||
17:46 | Tre Mitchell defensive rebound | |||
17:35 | Aaron Bradshaw misses three point jump shot | |||
17:32 | Wildcats offensive rebound | |||
17:19 | +2 | D.J. Wagner makes two point driving layup | 6-2 | |
16:53 | +2 | Zyon Pullin makes two point pullup jump shot | 6-4 | |
16:37 | +2 | Antonio Reeves makes two point driving floating bank jump shot | 8-4 | |
16:29 | Zyon Pullin misses two point driving layup | |||
16:27 | Tyrese Samuel offensive rebound | |||
16:26 | +2 | Tyrese Samuel makes two point putback dunk | 8-6 | |
16:16 | Antonio Reeves misses three point jump shot | |||
16:14 | Micah Handlogten defensive rebound | |||
16:07 | Antonio Reeves blocks Walter Clayton Jr.'s two point driving layup | |||
16:05 | Gators offensive rebound | |||
15:53 | +2 | Zyon Pullin makes two point pullup jump shot | 8-8 | |
15:43 | Rob Dillingham turnover (bad pass) (Will Richard steals) | |||
15:28 | Will Richard misses two point driving layup | |||
15:26 | Reed Sheppard defensive rebound | |||
15:20 | Antonio Reeves misses three point jump shot | |||
15:18 | Zyon Pullin defensive rebound | |||
15:13 | Riley Kugel offensive foul (Tre Mitchell draws the foul) | |||
15:13 | Riley Kugel turnover (offensive foul) | |||
15:13 | TV timeout | |||
14:45 | Tre Mitchell misses two point driving layup | |||
14:43 | Tre Mitchell offensive rebound | |||
14:40 | +2 | Tre Mitchell makes two point putback layup | 10-8 | |
14:31 | Will Richard misses three point jump shot | |||
14:29 | Ugonna Onyenso defensive rebound | |||
14:04 | Reed Sheppard misses three point pullup jump shot | |||
14:02 | Riley Kugel defensive rebound | |||
13:55 | Tyrese Samuel misses two point pullup jump shot | |||
13:53 | Ugonna Onyenso defensive rebound | |||
13:43 | Rob Dillingham misses two point driving floating bank jump shot | |||
13:40 | Gators defensive rebound | |||
13:26 | +3 | Alex Condon makes three point bank jump shot (Zyon Pullin assists) | 10-11 | |
13:09 | D.J. Wagner misses two point driving floating jump shot | |||
13:07 | Alex Condon defensive rebound | |||
12:58 | Jordan Burks shooting foul (Alex Condon draws the foul) | |||
12:58 | Alex Condon misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | |||
12:58 | +1 | Alex Condon makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 10-12 | |
12:45 | Rob Dillingham turnover (bad pass) (Riley Kugel steals) | |||
12:39 | Riley Kugel misses two point driving floating jump shot | |||
12:37 | Riley Kugel offensive rebound | |||
12:36 | +2 | Riley Kugel makes two point tip layup | 10-14 | |
12:23 | Rob Dillingham turnover (lost ball) (Riley Kugel steals) | |||
12:20 | +2 | Riley Kugel makes two point driving layup | 10-16 | |
12:19 | Wildcats 30 second timeout | |||
12:19 | TV timeout | |||
12:06 | Thomas Haugh personal foul | |||
11:57 | Riley Kugel shooting foul (Reed Sheppard draws the foul) | |||
11:57 | +1 | Reed Sheppard makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 11-16 | |
11:57 | +1 | Reed Sheppard makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 12-16 | |
11:38 | +3 | Riley Kugel makes three point jump shot (Denzel Aberdeen assists) | 12-19 | |
11:19 | +2 | Tre Mitchell makes two point driving layup | 14-19 | |
11:19 | Riley Kugel shooting foul (Tre Mitchell draws the foul) | |||
11:19 | Tre Mitchell misses regular free throw 1 of 1 | |||
11:19 | Thomas Haugh defensive rebound | |||
10:57 | Walter Clayton Jr. misses three point jump shot | |||
10:55 | Reed Sheppard defensive rebound | |||
10:48 | +2 | Antonio Reeves makes two point driving layup | 16-19 | |
10:25 | +3 | Walter Clayton Jr. makes three point stepback jump shot (Alex Condon assists) | 16-22 | |
10:16 | +3 | Antonio Reeves makes three point pullup jump shot | 19-22 | |
10:08 | Will Richard misses three point jump shot | |||
10:06 | D.J. Wagner defensive rebound | |||
10:00 | +2 | Reed Sheppard makes two point driving layup | 21-22 | |
9:30 | +3 | Denzel Aberdeen makes three point pullup jump shot (Walter Clayton Jr. assists) | 21-25 | |
9:16 | Antonio Reeves misses three point jump shot | |||
9:14 | Denzel Aberdeen defensive rebound | |||
9:07 | Walter Clayton Jr. misses three point stepback jump shot | |||
9:05 | Reed Sheppard defensive rebound | |||
8:52 | Thomas Haugh shooting foul (Reed Sheppard draws the foul) | |||
8:52 | Reed Sheppard misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | |||
8:52 | +1 | Reed Sheppard makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 22-25 | |
8:38 | Denzel Aberdeen turnover (bad pass) (Justin Edwards steals) | |||
8:32 | +2 | Justin Edwards makes two point driving dunk | 24-25 | |
8:17 | +2 | Zyon Pullin makes two point pullup jump shot | 24-27 | |
8:05 | Reed Sheppard turnover (bad pass) (Zyon Pullin steals) | |||
7:59 | Zyon Pullin misses two point driving layup | |||
7:57 | Micah Handlogten offensive rebound | |||
7:46 | Will Richard misses three point jump shot | |||
7:44 | Tre Mitchell defensive rebound | |||
7:39 | +2 | Ugonna Onyenso makes two point cutting layup (Reed Sheppard assists) | 26-27 | |
7:39 | Denzel Aberdeen shooting foul (Ugonna Onyenso draws the foul) | |||
7:39 | TV timeout | |||
7:39 | +1 | Ugonna Onyenso makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 27-27 | |
7:24 | Will Richard misses three point jump shot | |||
7:22 | Tre Mitchell defensive rebound | |||
7:19 | Justin Edwards misses two point driving layup | |||
7:17 | Micah Handlogten defensive rebound | |||
7:00 | Tre Mitchell shooting foul (Micah Handlogten draws the foul) | |||
7:00 | Micah Handlogten misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | |||
7:00 | Micah Handlogten misses regular free throw 2 of 2 | |||
7:00 | Ugonna Onyenso defensive rebound | |||
6:44 | Antonio Reeves turnover (traveling) | |||
6:34 | Will Richard misses three point jump shot | |||
6:32 | Tre Mitchell defensive rebound | |||
6:21 | Micah Handlogten blocks Ugonna Onyenso's two point layup | |||
6:19 | Micah Handlogten defensive rebound | |||
6:15 | Rob Dillingham shooting foul (Walter Clayton Jr. draws the foul) | |||
6:15 | Walter Clayton Jr. misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | |||
6:15 | +1 | Walter Clayton Jr. makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 27-28 | |
5:57 | D.J. Wagner misses two point driving layup | |||
5:55 | Tyrese Samuel defensive rebound | |||
5:47 | +3 | Riley Kugel makes three point jump shot (Walter Clayton Jr. assists) | 27-31 | |
5:31 | +2 | Rob Dillingham makes two point driving finger roll layup | 29-31 | |
5:17 | +3 | Walter Clayton Jr. makes three point jump shot (Zyon Pullin assists) | 29-34 | |
5:05 | Rob Dillingham misses three point pullup jump shot | |||
5:03 | Riley Kugel defensive rebound | |||
4:57 | Walter Clayton Jr. misses three point running jump shot | |||
4:55 | Micah Handlogten offensive rebound | |||
4:54 | +2 | Micah Handlogten makes two point putback layup | 29-36 | |
4:53 | Wildcats 30 second timeout | |||
4:40 | Rob Dillingham misses three point pullup jump shot | |||
4:38 | Zyon Pullin defensive rebound | |||
4:19 | Tyrese Samuel misses three point jump shot | |||
4:17 | Antonio Reeves defensive rebound | |||
4:10 | Tre Mitchell misses three point jump shot | |||
4:08 | Alex Condon defensive rebound | |||
3:57 | +3 | Walter Clayton Jr. makes three point jump shot (Zyon Pullin assists) | 29-39 | |
3:27 | Rob Dillingham turnover (lost ball) (Tyrese Samuel steals) | |||
3:27 | TV timeout | |||
3:07 | Alex Condon misses two point driving layup | |||
3:05 | Tre Mitchell defensive rebound | |||
2:46 | +2 | Tre Mitchell makes two point jump shot (Reed Sheppard assists) | 31-39 | |
2:13 | +3 | Zyon Pullin makes three point pullup bank jump shot (Walter Clayton Jr. assists) | 31-42 | |
1:53 | +2 | Antonio Reeves makes two point driving layup | 33-42 | |
1:39 | Riley Kugel misses three point jump shot | |||
1:37 | Reed Sheppard defensive rebound | |||
1:25 | +2 | Tre Mitchell makes two point bank jump shot | 35-42 | |
1:06 | Antonio Reeves shooting foul (Riley Kugel draws the foul) | |||
1:06 | +1 | Riley Kugel makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 35-43 | |
1:06 | Riley Kugel misses regular free throw 2 of 2 | |||
1:06 | Justin Edwards defensive rebound | |||
0:47 | +2 | Tre Mitchell makes two point reverse layup | 37-43 | |
0:37 | Zyon Pullin turnover (lost ball) (D.J. Wagner steals) | |||
0:32 | Justin Edwards misses two point driving layup | |||
0:30 | Walter Clayton Jr. defensive rebound | |||
0:22 | +2 | Walter Clayton Jr. makes two point layup | 37-45 | |
0:01 | Reed Sheppard misses three point jump shot | |||
0:00 | Gators defensive rebound | |||
0:00 | End of period |