College basketball scores: Florida finishes undefeated in SEC, tops Kentucky 84-65
The Gators swept the season series over the Wildcats and, well, everyone else in their conference.
Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Florida finished 18-0 in the SEC regular season with a smackdown of Kentucky, 84-65. The Gators scored at will against John Calipari’s freshman-heavy squad on Saturday, shooting nearly 60 percent from the field and hitting nine threes.
Florida center Patric Young -- not Julius Randle -- was the best post player in Saturday's game. The senior scored a game-high 18 points in addition to grabbing seven rebounds. Casey Prather was perfect on the day, hitting all five of his field goals for 15 points.
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Kentucky didn't play poorly on offense, as Randle notched a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds. But Florida's supporting cast was better, as Wildcat guard Andrew Harrison went 3-14 from the field. Kentucky has struggled mightily in games where the more shoot-first Harrison twin has failed to get going.
The Gators sealed their fate as a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. They are heavy favorites to win the SEC tourney, though Billy Donovan may decide to have his team make an early exit and rest up for the Big Dance.
No. 2 Wichita State 67, Missouri State 42
The Shockers advanced to the finals of the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament and maintained their undefeated mark. Cleanthony Early had a game-high 20 points as Wichita continued its excellent run. The winner of Indiana State and Southern Illinois will meet the Shockers in the final on Sunday.
No. 6 Villanova 77, Georgetown 59
The Wildcats finished off an impressive season in the Big East, downing Georgetown to improve to 16-2 in conference play. Darrun Hilliard scored a team-high 19 points, hitting seven of his 11 field goal attempts.
With the win, Villanova has a No. 2 all but locked in, with an outside shot at making the top line. The Wildcats will enter the Big East Tournament as the No. 1 seed and -- along with Creighton -- the co-favorites.
West Virginia 92, No. 8 Kansas 86
Andrew Wiggins scored a career-high 41 points, but West Virginia outgunned the Jayhawks on Saturday. Three Mountaineers scored over 20 points, led by Eron Harris' 28. Juwan Staten scored 24 points for West Virginia, going 14-for-20 from the free throw line.
Wiggins went 12-for-18 from the field, adding eight rebounds, five steals and four blocks in his best game of the season.
Tarik Black had 14 points and Frank Mason scored 10, the only other Jayhawks to hit double digits.
No. 11 Louisville 81, No. 19 Connecticut 48
The Cardinals broke UConn, holding the Huskies to just 18 first-half points. Double-double machine Montrezl Harrell had 20 and 11, while star guard Russ Smith dished 13 assists.
Shabazz Napier was stifled all game by Louisville's defense. The favorite for AAC Player of the Year scored just nine points on 2-13 shooting. The win secures a share of the first-ever American regular season title for the Cardinals, a distinction they share with Cincinnati.
No. 15 Cincinnati 70, Rutgers 66
The Bearcats squeaked by Rutgers, clinching a share of the AAC regular season title. Cincinnati also won the coin toss against Louisville, meaning Mick Cronin’s team has been awarded the No. 1 seed in the American Athletic Conference Tournament.
Against the Scarlet Knights on Saturday, leading scorer Sean Kilpatrick had 24 points. The senior shot 8-17 from the field, hitting four three-pointers. J.J. Moore had 19 points for Rutgers, which shot just 40 percent from the field on the day.
No. 16 Iowa State 85, Oklahoma State 81 (OT)
In a thrilling afternoon game, the Cyclones dispatched the Cowboys in overtime. Trailing by three, Iowa State’s Naz Long hit a game-tying shot from behind the arc to send the game to an extra period.
Long’s shot caused a great reaction from the home crowd at Hilton Coliseum.
Here's the Vine of Iowa State's game-tying three: https://t.co/47Kbv8wEw1 Here's an appropriate reaction: pic.twitter.com/XIUajcu8Ir
— SB Nation CBB (@SBNationCBB) March 8, 2014 DeAndre Kane finished with 27 points and eight assists for the Cyclones. Marcus Smart led the way for Oklahoma State, finishing with 27 points. Smart fouled out near the end of regulation, though, leaving his team shorthanded in overtime.
No. 20 Memphis 67, No. 18 SMU 58
The Tigers finished the season on a high note, taking down SMU in Memphis. Joe Jackson had a game-high 18 for Memphis, while freshman forward Austin Nichols put together an efficient 14 points and nine rebounds.
Both teams finish the regular season in a three-way tie with Connecticut for third in the American Athletic Conference. Both SMU and Memphis finished at 12-6 and 23-8 overall, while the Huskies finished 24-7.
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