THE SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE THREAD

Prather guides No. 11 Gators past Ark.-Little Rock

Florida coach Billy Donovan was looking for energy, and he found it from someone who didn't have a lot to give.

Dorian Finney-Smith, done with his suspension but battling a virus that kept him out of practice all week and caused him to lose 10 pounds, scored 17 points in 16 minutes to help the 11th-ranked Gators beat Arkansas-Little Rock 86-56 on Saturday.

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Gators reinstate Dorian Finney-Smith



-- Dorian Finney-Smith's suspension is over. His season debut is still on hold.

Florida coach Billy Donovan reinstated the forward Friday, but said he's unlikely to play Saturday against Arkansas-Little Rock because of an illness. Finney-Smith caught a virus while the 11th-ranked Gators (1-1) were on the road at Wisconsin earlier this week. He skipped practice Thursday and Friday. He also had blood work done Friday in hopes of speeding his recovery.

"He's done a very, very good job up until this point taking care of responsibilities," Donovan said. "I feel bad for him just that he's ill. We don't know what it is. He has some kind of virus."

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No. 16 Florida loses Kasey Hill for a month in win

No. 16 Florida could be without point guard Kasey Hill for a month, maybe longer.

Hill suffered a high-ankle sprain in a 67-53 victory against Southern on Monday night. Coach Billy Donovan said team doctors are "pretty confident right now there's nothing broken." But Hill will have tests Tuesday to determine the full extent of the injury.

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James Young leads No. 4 Kentucky to rout of UT Arlington

James Young couldn't wait to apply those tweaks to his jump shot, and the first one he made against UT Arlington told him it could be a good night.

The Kentucky freshman made sure of that early and often.

Young scored 26 points, including five 3-pointers, which helped No. 4 Kentucky put away the Mavericks 105-76 on Tuesday night.

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No. 16 Florida handles Middle Tennessee, 79-59

Florida coach Billy Donovan said his team was "painful to watch" early.

That was somewhat expected, because the Gators played without a true point guard for the first time in years.

But once Donovan simplified things at halftime, No. 16 Florida pulled away from Middle Tennessee and coasted to a 79-59 victory Thursday night.

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Missouri's Stefan Jankovic to transfer

Missouri's bench just got smaller.

The school said Friday that sophomore forward Stefan Jankovic will be transferring, saying he is hoping for more playing time elsewhere.

The 6-foot-11, 242-pound Jankovic played in 28 games for the Tigers, averaging 3.1 points and 1.6 rebounds. He scored nine points in 18 minutes in this season's opener, but added only one combined point in eight-plus minutes during Missouri's next two games.

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Andrew Harrison, No. 3 Kentucky rally to escape Cleveland State

Kentucky trailed Cleveland State by 10 points late in the game, and that was all the motivation Andrew Harrison needed to break out of his funk.

With some added incentive from Wildcats coach John Calipari, the freshman point guard also forgot about playing with four fouls and got aggressive.

Harrison had a pair of three-point plays, including one that broke a 57-all tie with 2:08 left, before twin brother Aaron followed with a 3-pointer with 1:20 remaining that helped No. 3 Kentucky rally past the stubborn Vikings 68-61 on Monday night.

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Scottie Wilbekin returns in Florida win, apologizes for suspension

It's no coincidence that No. 15 Florida played its most complete game of the season with point guard Scottie Wilbekin back in the mix.

Returning from a five-game suspension to start the season, Wilbekin had 12 points, seven assists, five rebounds and just two turnovers as the Gators handled Jacksonville 86-60 on Monday night.

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No. 3 Kentucky earns 500th win at Rupp Arena over Eastern Michigan

What pleased Aaron Harrison even more than a good night scoring was seeing Kentucky teammates such as Willie Cauley-Stein also thrive, particularly when the ball was lobbed in the air for easy dunks.

Both Wildcats had plenty of good examples to reflect on against Eastern Michigan.

Aaron Harrison scored 22 points, Cauley-Stein added 15, and third-ranked Kentucky earned its 500th Rupp Arena win by beating the Eagles 81-63 on Wednesday.

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Austin Nichols scores 19, as No. 21 Memphis tops LSU

Memphis will get a quick rematch with Oklahoma State in a second meeting between the Top-25 teams this season.

Austin Nichols scored 19 points, Chris Crawford had 17 and No. 21 Memphis beat LSU 76-69 Friday night in a semifinal at the Old Spice Classic.

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Willie Cauley-Stein has 9 blocks in Kentucky's win over Providence

Bryce Cotton has been through this before. He had to find a way to get his shot off against the length of Kentucky, and the Providence guard was successful yet again.

"I've been this short all my life. I'm kind of used to it," the 6-foot-1 Cotton said Sunday night after scoring 23 points in the Friars' 79-65 loss to the third-ranked Wildcats at Barclays Center. "I've always been the shortest one on the floor so it's something I'm used to.

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Scottie Wilbekin out indefinitely

Florida senior guard Scottie Wilbekin is out indefinitely with a high ankle sprain, adding to the list of growing roster issues for the No. 15 Gators.

The team is already without highly touted freshman guard Kasey Hill with a similar injury. Hill, who has averaged 10 points in four games, may need another two weeks to rehab, coach Billy Donovan said prior to Florida's game Monday night at No. 12 Connecticut.

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Missouri upsets No. 18 UCLA, extends home win streak to 24

Missouri guard Earnest Ross thinks it's "pretty cool" when he makes 3-pointers. His teammates agree, especially when they're dropping in big games.

Ross scored 20 points and finished 5 of 11 from beyond the arc to help Missouri upset No. 18 UCLA 80-71 on Saturday.

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Scottie Wilbekin, No. 19 Florida hold on to topple No. 13 Kansas

As Scottie Wilbekin jogged off the court, students chanted his name.

It was a feel-good moment for a senior who was suspended to start the season and struggled in last week's loss at No. 9 Connecticut.

Wilbekin scored a career-high 18 points, Dorian Finney-Smith added 15 and No. 19 Florida held on to beat No. 13 Kansas 67-61 on Tuesday night.

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No. 11 Kentucky rebounds from 2nd loss to shut down Boise State

James Young was among many Kentucky players painfully aware they had to do better after letting one get away against Baylor last week.

The freshman guard's improved shooting against Boise State on Tuesday night played a big role in helping the 11th-ranked Wildcats snap back from that frustrating loss.

Young scored 17 of his 21 points in the first half, and Kentucky used solid defense to hand Boise State its first loss 70-55.

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Rusty Missouri beats Western Michigan to stay unbeaten

After scoring 80 points in wins against West Virginia and UCLA, No. 24 Missouri struggled to maintain any momentum Sunday after an eight-day break for final exams.

"When you win ballgames at a high level, you can't be turning the ball over, trying to get the ball inbounds," coach Frank Haith said. "And that's an area where we had some mishaps."

Indeed, the Tigers looked rusty at times in their 66-60 win against Western Michigan. They were clinging to a 47-45 lead with 10:46 remaining before Tony Criswell's jumper two minutes later capped a 9-0 run as Missouri (10-0) pulled away.

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Chris Walker waits for NCAA decision

Florida freshman Chris Walker arrived on campus in Gainesville on Saturday after completing the necessary academic eligibility requirements, and now awaits a decision from the NCAA.

The 6-foot-11, 230-pound Walker was a McDonald's All-American and the 12th-rated prospect in the country in the Class of 2013. He didn't qualify academically to enroll in the fall and recently finished three online courses.

Sources told ESPN.com that Walker -- who was officially admitted to the school Saturday -- will undergo a physical examination, and enroll in classes for the spring semester. He's eligible to practice Saturday with the Gators.

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No. 16 Florida finishes on top in battle with No. 15 Memphis

Casey Prather did what seniors are supposed to do -- lead their team in a tough spot.

Prather scored 22 points, including Florida's last eight of the game, and the 16th-ranked Gators beat No. 15 Memphis 77-75 in the Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night.

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The Florida Gators kept making Fresno State miss, and kept grabbing rebounds.

Eventually, the Gators started to sink some shots, too.

No. 16-ranked Florida won with defense Saturday, allowing its lowest point total of the season to beat Fresno State 66-49 in the Orange Bowl Classic.

Read more http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=400505531

 

Julius Randle scores career-best 29 to rally Kentucky

The difference between the crisis Kentucky faced on Saturday against Belmont compared to one a week ago was that the Wildcats made adjustments and kept control of the outcome.

Those tasks are easier to achieve if the ball is in Julius Randle's able hands.

Randle scored a career-high 29 points, including 15 during a second-half rally that pushed No. 19 Kentucky past stubborn Belmont 93-80.

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