THE SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE THREAD

No. 6 Florida routs Tennessee for 11th straight win

Having dropped three consecutive games to Southeastern Conference rival Tennessee, No. 6 Florida had been waiting for a chance to end the losing streak.

The Gators welcomed it and wanted it -- and it showed.

Michael Frazier II scored 17 points, Scottie Wilbekin added 13 and Florida handled Tennessee 67-41 on Saturday for the team's 11th consecutive win.

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Aaron Harrison, Kentucky dominate Georgia

Kentucky players weren't shocked by the numerous scoring opportunities they had against a depleted Georgia lineup with the preparation they had put in.

Most satisfying for the 14th-ranked Wildcats was taking advantage of those chances -- with 7-foot sophomore Willie Cauley-Stein among the happiest contributors by having a hand in other areas before finding the basket.

Freshman guard Aaron Harrison helped set the tone by scoring 15 points as Kentucky pulled away for a 79-54 victory Saturday.

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Johnny O'Bryant scores 29 points to lead LSU past No. 11 Kentucky

To think what Johnny O'Bryant III would have missed if he had turned pro last year, as many thought he might.

Instead, the junior forward will be remembered at LSU for leading the Tigers to an upset of No. 11 Kentucky on a day that normally balmy Baton Rouge froze over.

O'Bryant scored 29 points and grabbed nine rebounds, and LSU surprisingly led wire-to-wire in an 87-82 victory Tuesday night.

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Casey Prather, Patric Young help No. 3 Florida roll past Miss. St.

Florida's 3-point shooting was mediocre, and its free throw percentage was absolutely brutal.

But even when the offense is inconsistent, the third-ranked Gators are one of the nation's most dominant teams thanks to a defense that never quits.

Casey Prather scored 16 points, Patric Young added 12 and Florida beat Mississippi State 62-51 on Thursday night for its 12th straight victory.

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No. 3 Florida pounds Texas A&M by 33 points

Patric Young has a message for anyone who believes Florida's success this season has to do with playing in a two-team Southeastern Conference.

"We're not the No. 3 team in the country for no reason," Young said. "We can't control what other people say about our team. Look at the stats, look at what we're doing, look at the record."

Michael Frazier II scored 21 points, Dorian Finney-Smith added 11 and the third-ranked Gators overwhelmed Texas A&M 69-36 on Saturday.

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Kentucky holds off Mizzou despite Jabari Brown's 33 points

Kentucky's back to having fun.

One game after calling a players-only meeting to discuss the team's issues away from home, the Wildcats kept their poise at Missouri on Saturday, escaping with an 84-79 win.

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Michael Frazier II helps No. 3 Florida pull away to dump Missouri

Highly touted freshman Chris Walker gave the home fans something to cheer about early.

Michael Frazier II sent them home happy.

Frazier scored 14 points, hitting four 3-pointers in the second half, and Walker had two crowd-pleasing dunks in his college debut as the third-ranked Gators beat Missouri 68-58 on Tuesday night.

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No. 18 Kentucky tops Mississippi 80-64

Willie Cauley-Stein seemed to be emerging from his slump a couple of games ago before slipping back over the next two contests and realizing that he might have been trying too hard.

Kentucky's 7-foot sophomore came out more relaxed Tuesday night and produced an impressive effort reminiscent of his dominant first half of the season, one he hopes to perform consistently from now on.

Cauley-Stein broke out of his skid with 18 points and 11 rebounds, and No. 18 Kentucky shot 60 percent in the second half for an 80-64 victory over Mississippi.

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No. 3 Florida tops Alabama for 15th straight win

No. 3 Florida has won with defense most of the season.

The Gators showed Saturday they can pull out games on the other end of the court, too.

Scottie Wilbekin scored 16 points, leading all five starters in double figures, and Florida beat Alabama 78-69 for its 15th straight victory.

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Julius Randle boosts No. 18 Kentucky past Miss. St.

Frustrated with his talented young team, Kentucky coach John Calipari turned to a couple of rarely used veterans for a lift.

Jon Hood and Jarrod Polson were more than happy to help.

Julius Randle scored 16 points and fellow freshman James Young added 11 as No. 18 Kentucky beat Mississippi State 69-59 on Saturday. But it was Hood and Polson who were on the court when the Wildcats closed the first half on a 19-6 run that proved to be the game's decisive stretch.

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No. 3 Florida beats Tennessee for only second time in 9 Knoxville tries

Florida's smothering defense returned to form just in time for the third-ranked Gators to keep their winning streak going.

After falling behind in the first half due to Tennessee's strong shooting, the Gators stepped up their defense down the stretch and won 67-58 Tuesday night for their 16th consecutive victory. Florida also beat the Volunteers in Knoxville for only the second time in its last nine attempts.

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Kentucky pulls away from Auburn despite shooting 31 percent

Once again, Kentucky gave coach John Calipari a win and no shortage of teaching points.

Andrew Harrison scored 16 points to help the No. 14 Wildcats overcome shooting struggles and hold on for a 64-56 victory over Auburn on Wednesday night.

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Scottie Wilbekin's 23 points help No. 3 Florida rally past No. 14 Kentucky

Florida had the same plan when it was trailing and when it pulled ahead. The third-ranked Gators just wanted to maintain their composure.

That steady approach turned into a big win at one of college basketball's most hostile venues.

Scottie Wilbekin scored 23 points, including five critical free throws down the stretch, and Florida rallied for a tense 69-59 victory over No. 14 Kentucky on Saturday night in a matchup of the Southeastern Conference's top teams.

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Florida jumps to No. 2 in AP poll

Syracuse is still tops in The Associated Press Top 25, but it is no longer a unanimous No. 1.

The Orange (25-0), who won two games in the final seconds last week, are on top for a third straight week. They received 64 first-place votes from the 65-member media panel. They were a unanimous choice the past two weeks.

Florida (23-2), which won at Kentucky on Saturday, moved from third to second and received the other first-place vote.

Joe Rexrode of the Detroit Free Press changed his No. 1 vote from the Orange to the Gators.

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Joel Embiid to return vs. Texas Tech

- No. 8 Kansas should have its full complement of players for the first time in a couple of weeks when it visits Texas Tech on Tuesday night.

Jayhawks coach Bill Self told ESPN on Sunday that center Joel Embiid, who has been dealing with back pain and the lingering effects of a sprained knee, practiced at full speed after sitting out Saturday's win over TCU. He reiterated that Monday and said sophomore forward Brannen Greene, who was benched one game for disciplinary reasons, also would be available against the Red Raiders.

Embiid played just 18 minutes in an overtime loss to Kansas State on Feb. 10 in his last game.

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No. 18 Kentucky tops Mississippi 84-70

Kentucky's Julius Randle started his big night with a few dunks, then made a boatload of free throws and capped it off with a difficult finish in the lane to seal the victory.

The 6-foot-9 freshman is turning into the consistent force the Wildcats hoped he would be. That could make them tough to beat as March approaches.

Randle scored 25 points and grabbed 13 rebounds for his 14th double-double of the season as No. 18 Kentucky beat Mississippi 84-70 on Tuesday night.

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Patric Young key after nearly sitting out as Gators hold off Auburn

Florida basketball coach Billy Donovan hadn't planned on having center Patric Young for the game against Auburn because of a flareup of the tendinitis in his knees. However, when pregame warm-ups were finished, Young told his coach he could play.

That decision turned out to be crucial in saving the Gators' school-record 18-game winning streak.

Young hit a pair of free throws with 19 seconds remaining to break a tie and added another after Auburn committed a crucial turnover to seal second-ranked Florida's 71-66 victory at the O'Connell Center.

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Florida shuts down Marshall Henderson in second half to beat Ole Miss

Mississippi's Marshall Henderson unleashed a first-half scoring spree that put No. 2 Florida's school-record winning streak in danger.

The Gators were impressed. And then they made sure it didn't happen again.

Jolted awake by Henderson's 22 points in the first half, Florida clamped down to keep him scoreless in the second half and then fought its way to a 75-71 victory on Saturday afternoon.

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Julius Randle helps Kentucky edge LSU late in overtime

Julius Randle couldn't remember if anyone was guarding him in those final seconds because he was so focused on positioning himself to grab any missed shot.

And when James Young's blocked shot ended up in his hands, the Kentucky freshman's only thought was putting it in the basket quickly. A wild celebration soon followed that neither Randle nor the young Wildcats will forget because of the work required in their most satisfying victory.

Randle had just eight points but scored in the lane with 3.9 seconds remaining in overtime to give No. 18 Kentucky a hard-earned 77-76 victory over LSU on Saturday.

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Arkansas gets season sweep of Kentucky with OT win

Arkansas didn't need a spectacular dunk to beat No. 17 Kentucky in overtime this time around.

Perfect free throw shooting worked just fine for the Razorbacks, a fundamental they executed much better than the Wildcats, with Coty Clarke and Kikko Hayder providing the final touches in the extra session.

Clarke scored four of his seven points in OT from the foul line and Arkansas upset the Wildcats 71-67 on Thursday night to complete a season sweep.

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