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          Florida Gators

          Rapid Reaction: Kentucky 74, Florida 59

          • Michael DiRocco, ESPN Staff WriterMar 4, 2012, 07:00 PM
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              Michael DiRocco is an NFL reporter at ESPN. DiRocco covers the Jacksonville Jaguars. He previously covered the University of Florida for over a decade for ESPN.com and Florida Times-Union. DiRocco graduated from Jacksonville University and is a multiple APSE award winner. You can follow DiRocco on Twitter at @ESPNdirocco.
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          GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Kentucky, once again, is perfect.

          The top-ranked Wildcats capped off their third 16-0 season in Southeastern Conference play on Sunday afternoon with a rout over 13th-ranked Florida at the O'Connell Center. Kentucky (30-1) also had 16-0 conference records in 1996 and 2003.

          Kentucky got 22 points, 11 rebounds and six blocks from freshman Anthony Davis and 19 points from Terrence Jones to win its fourth game in a row over Florida (22-9, 10-6). The Wildcats have won eight of their past 10 meetings with the Gators.

          Player of the game: Jones went 9-for-13 from the field and added four rebounds and two steals to go along with his 19 points. He scored Kentucky's first eight points and pretty much had his way with Florida's Erik Murphy. Jones, a preseason All-American and the SEC's preseason Player of the Year, also made his only 3-point attempt.

          Stat of the game: Kentucky scored more than half of its points in the paint, outscoring the Gators 40-28 inside.

          What did we learn? The Wildcats can play pretty much any way they want. Half-court offense? Long-range shootout? Transition game? Grind-it-out defensive battle? No problem. Kentucky has the personnel to match up with any style of play -- and be better at it. UK out-rebounded UF 36-30, shot 41.7 percent from 3-point range, blocked nine shots and had seven steals.

          Noteworthy: Florida guard Kenny Boynton did not start as punishment for being late to a team meeting earlier in the week. Scottie Wilbekin started in his place. ... Florida's loss means the Gators will be the No. 4 seed in this week's SEC Tournament in New Orleans. The Gators will play the winner of Thursday's Alabama-South Carolina first-round game on Friday. ... Kentucky set a school record with its 30th victory in the regular season. ... The Wildcats are now 74-1 under coach John Calipari when holding opponents to less than 67 points. ... Florida lost three games in a row for the first time since the 2009-10 season.