After completing an undefeated week against Mississippi State and No. 10 Tennessee, Kentucky mens basketball is set to travel to Gainesville to challenge the Gators on Wednesday, Feb. 22.

The Wildcats defeated both the Bulldogs and the Volunteers without two key rotational players in the lineup as CJ Fredrick and Sahvir Wheeler were both inactive with injuries.

Wheeler had been averaging 7.7 points, 2.3 rebounds and one steal per game, leading the team in assists with 5.6 per game and shooting 41.7% from the field.

Fredrick, on the other hand, averaged 7.3 points per game, shooting 33.3% from beyond the arc before going down with injury.

Wheeler and Fredrick are both questionable in Gainesville.

The matchup will be Kentucky and Florida’s second matchup against each other this year after the Wildcats defeated the Gators in Lexington earlier this season.

With that in mind, Kentucky takes the court hoping to earn its second season sweep against a conference opponent in less than a week.

The Wildcats currently stand at 18-9 overall with a 9-5 record in conference play, enough to put them third in the SEC just behind Alabama and Texas A&M. The Florida Gators are 14-13, 7-7 in the SEC, and are currently in ninth place in the conference.

When looking at past matchups between Florida and Kentucky, the Wildcats lead the series 107-41 over the Gators, a good sign for a team looking to continue its push to a higher seed in the NCAA Tournament after a decisive win over Tennessee truly put the Cats back on the radar.

Despite the big win, Kentucky will still need to take the rest of the season one game at a time, and a win over the Gators on the road would surely benefit the Cats’ resume going into the postseason.

In terms of numbers, Kentucky is led by former national player of the year Oscar Tshiebwe in points, rebounds and blocks, with “Big O” averaging 15.8 points, 13 rebounds and one block, as well as 1.6 steals per game while shooting 54.5% from the floor.

Antonio Reeves stands as Kentucky’s next highest scorer, averaging 13 points per game while shooting 41.9% from the floor.

Starting point guard Cason Wallace is also averaging 11.8 points, 3.7 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game, leading the team in steals with 1.9 per game and shooting 45.5% from the floor and 35.4% from the 3-point line.

The Gators are led by senior Colin Castleton in points, rebounds and blocks, with Castleton averaging 16 points, 7.7 rebounds and three blocks per game, but Florida is out of luck in that department after the announcement that he will miss the remainder of the season due to a broken hand.

Will Richard is Florida’s next highest scorer, averaging 10.3 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game, shooting 48% from the floor and 40% from beyond the arc.

Kyle Lofton and Kowacie Reeves will complement Richard from the wing, with Lofton averaging 8.8 points, three rebounds, 3.4 assists and one steal per game, shooting 41.7% from the floor while Reeves contributes 8.7 points and 2.7 rebounds per game while shooting 38.2% from the floor. 

While the potential absence of Sahvir Wheeler and CJ Fredrick could have thrown a wrench in Kentucky’s rotation, Oscar Tshiebwe and the Wildcats will hope to exploit the hole left in Florida’s front court after Castleton’s injury.

Kentucky and Florida are set to tip off on Wednesday, Feb. 22, at 7 p.m. EST in Gainesville, Florida. The game can be watched live on ESPN.

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