By David Schuh | Men’s basketball columnist

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It’s a narrative almost too simple: Experience wins when talent can’t.

UK has more of the latter than most, but the University of Florida prevailed on Saturday, 69-59, in a game that the young Cats simply weren’t ready to win.

And still, UK nearly snuck away with its biggest win of the season.

Midway through the second half, the Cats led by seven. For a team that typically uses great offense to drag its mediocre defense, the two facets had finally met for 32 minutes.

The Cats had controlled the game defensively to that point. Constantly switching between man-to-man and zone defense, UK head coach John Calipari cleverly kept the Gators guessing.

For what seemed like the first time all year, his team was outworking its opponent. And up to that point, it felt that the momentum could have carried the Cats home.

But it all flipped with eight minutes to go when Calipari was hit with a technical foul. It wasn’t surprising, especially given his repeated treatment of the refs throughout the game.

Who knows whether it was actually a key to the Cats’ collapse. It was, however, a cosmic shift in the flow of the game. After Florida got four quick points from the free throws and ensuing possession, UK permanently lost its lead.

Not only would they never get it back, but Florida would run away with the final eight minutes, finishing on a 22-11 run.

In doing so, the Gators used what UK doesn’t have.

Florida seniors Scottie Wilbekin, Casey Prather and Patric Young combined for 57 points, while shooting 21-26 from the free throw line.

When the game was in the balance, the Gators’ fourth-year players stepped up.

“They were just a little too experienced for us down the stretch,” Calipari said.

But still, despite its limp to the finish, UK showed it’s good enough to get itself to that eight-minute mark. That is something to build on in the short-term.

“We did a lot of good stuff today; defended a really good offensive team,” Calipari said. “We were good. We gave ourselves a chance.”

Still, as the Cats saw their seven-point quickly and painlessly turn into a 10-point deficit, they showed an inability to match the poise of an experienced, elite top-5 team.

That’s a difficult thing to learn, especially for a young team that has just three weeks left in its season.

The Gators made a definitive statement that they were the better team on Saturday, and it isn’t close.

UK knows it must acquire what Florida possessed on Saturday.

The question is, can the Cats find it in three weeks?