Good guys prevail: 60-53. Thank heavens for the win.

Of all the games Florida plays every year, there are two that stand out for me and most other fans. Kentucky away, and Kentucky at home. Beating Kentucky, no matter how poor they are in a given season, is always a treat. And of course, Kentucky fans should accept it as a token of respect for the history of their program that taking out Big Blue is always a big deal around these parts.

On a day when Nick Calathes was offensively inept, going a paltry 2-9 in 34 minutes of play, a glimpse of “old school” Gator basketball emerged when Walter Hodge and Alex Tyus stepped up their games. The senior and the soph combined for 29 points and a series of big plays: Hodge’s trey with Kentucky knocking on the door of a two-possession game was huge, and Tyus’ block of Jodie Meeks after a Kentucky steal kept an 8-point differential alive when the game was still in question. Erving Walker’s stock also continues to rise. The Tasmanian Devil, as I like to call him, hit a huge three with 5:01 to go to extend the lead to 8 points. He followed that up by drawing a foul from Patrick Patterson (remember him… the player who famously said “In the end, Kentucky will win” when he was recruited?) and knocking down a free throw, effectively a three-point swing with 1:56 remaining.

That Florida won on 38.9% shooting (compared to Kentucky’s 43.4%) and 24 rebounds to the Cats’ 34 is a testament to the Gators’ disruptive defensive efforts. Kentucky never found the handle, turning the ball over 23 times — a figure that would only be shocking if the Wildcats hadn’t been giving up the leather all year long.

The Gators came to play. I love the fact that they played with heart and hustle, excuted their gameplan well and did what it took to win despite their leader, Nick Calathes, contributing only 5 points and 7 turnovers.

Now it’s time for the inevitable reality check. Aside from pride, which in this case is considerable, this win merely allows Florida to keep their NCAA hopes on life support. Little if any positive change in postseason destination has occurred; rather, while Kentucky is now all but certain to appear in the NIT, Florida still has a chance if they can win two SEC tournament games. Given that the SEC tournament seeding will pit Florida against Arkansas and then LSU Auburn, this will not be easy.

This season, beating Kentucky is not a marquee win of any kind, and in fact, failing to sweep the 8-8 ‘Cats will probably be viewed as a slight negative. A word on Kentucky: this is a poorly coached team, among the worst I can recall seeing in Division I-A basketball. I’m not sure how Billy Gillispie recovers from this; the ‘Cats are far from loaded, but they have enough talent to be much better. This squad consistently make mental gaffes and seem to be lacking in fundamental basketball skills and smarts. At this point in time I am publicly calling out Billy Gillispie as a coaching fraud. Kentucky has the talent and athleticism to compete for an SEC title in this down conference year, and yet in the twilight of their season they still play like a JV team. I think Gillispie is on the hot seat and may not survive his third year in the Bluegrass. He is the wrong fit for Kentucky, and we are fortunate that he’s there for now as Kentucky could have been more formidable had AD Mitch Barnhart made a better hire.

My prediction: only a matter of time before Gillispie is fired or quits. Probably next season. Let’s hope John Pelphrey doesn’t get the call.