No. 1 Gators rise to the occasion, survive Kentucky

	Corey Brewer led the Gators with 16 points and seven rebounds as they extended the nation's longest winning streak to 16. AP
	RELATED • Florida escapes Kentucky to keep streak alive
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ESPN was there all day. A record crowd showed up at hallowed Rupp Arena. Kentucky brought a 13-1 home record and a burning desire to snap an unthinkable four-game losing streak to an SEC opponent.

And then Florida went out, led wire-to-wire and extended the nation's longest winning streak to 16 games with a 64-61 win.

Florida coach Billy Donovan has been praised for managing his team this year above all else -- the egos, the expectations, the hoopla. Those management skills were in evidence when he said after the game that, despite the atmosphere, this was just one game in a long conference season. The Gators figured out a way to win, which is something they've done in all 10 outings in the SEC to date.

Florida appeared ready to blow Kentucky out early and make a statement that SEC supremacy has squarely shifted south. Showing its NCAA tournament experience, the Gators tamed a Final Four-sized crowd of 24,465 early. The Gators led 24-11 thanks to Chris Richard and the big showdown was looking like a beatdown.

But then Kentucky coach Tubby Smith switched to a zone, slowed the Gators down and allowed the Wildcats to climb back in. At halftime, the deficit was nine, and that was without the benefit of big man Randolph Morris, who did one of his disappearing acts in the opening half.

Morris awoke in the second half, and this one was a dogfight. Morris scored 10 of 13 Kentucky points during one dominating stretch, showing why there may be an NBA future for the 6-foot-11 big man if he can ever play with some consistent desire.

Florida answered all Kentucky charges despite getting a subpar game from Joakim Noah, then nearly handed the game back to Kentucky in the final seconds. The Gators led 63-54 with 26 seconds left, but two ugly turnovers and a missed free throw cracked the door for UK. Ramel Bradley just missed a 3-pointer that would have forced overtime.

Donovan gave Kentucky credit after the game and was proud of his group of defending champs. He said the Gators are a true team, and that is not coachspeak. On a night where Lee Humphrey did little, and Noah and Al Horford battled foul trouble, the Gators were still able to keep the streak alive thanks to Corey Brewer (16 points, 7 rebounds) and a defensive effort that hounded Kentucky into shooting 3-for-22 from 3-point range.

Kentucky certainly can walk away from the contest feeling like a team that can do damage in the NCAA tournament, especially if Morris can put together more stretches like he did in the second half. They hung around the No. 1 team in the nation despite serious shooting woes not only from 3, but also from the free throw line (12-for-21).

On the other side, the Gators can be proud of the result, if not the aesthetics. Too many poor decisions down the stretch, not enough out of the frontcourt at either end and a lack of killer instinct in the first half when Kentucky was on its heels.

But for a team that has won countless 'big' games and faced numerous hostile environments in the past year and a half, the Gators are far from bored. Donovan has been able to maintain his team's edge during The Year After, and he has the Gators looking like a safe bet to be heading to Atlanta in early April with a shot at winning another national title.