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Kentucky NCAA hopes end after being bounced from SEC tourney
But things began spiraling downward for the Wildcats long before Thursday's disappointing 74-73 setback against Mississippi State that sealed their fate: No NCAA Tournament this year. AdDigesting the reality and enduring a losing season at college basketball's winningest program will make for a long offseason for the Wildcats. “But at the end of the day, you've gotta win games and you've gotta be tough and you've got to play winning basketball. The Wildcats rebounded to win their first three SEC games, only to seesaw between a four-game skid and three-game winning streak. One of the main issues for the Wildcats was putting up points, as Kentucky ranked 200th in Division I in scoring.
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Florida edges Kentucky 71-67 for series split
(AP Photo/James Crisp)LEXINGTON, Ky. – Tre Mann scored 14 of his 21 points in the second half and Florida pulled out a 71-67 victory over Kentucky on Saturday, winning its third straight game and avenging a blowout loss to the Wildcats. Neither team scored again until Mann's baseline jumper with 1:49 to go. Florida, which lost to Kentucky 76-58 on Jan. 9, picked up just the fifth season split in the series' history, the last coming in 1998. The win was just the 11th for Florida at Lexington versus 52 losses. Florida is home against Missouri on Wednesday before concluding its regular season at Tennessee on March 7.
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No. 22 Tar Heels top Kentucky for Wildcats' 5th loss in row
North Carolina won 75-63. Armando Bacot scored 11 of his team-high 14 points in the second half Saturday, rallying No. 22 North Carolina from a double-digit deficit to beat Kentucky 75-63 at the CBS Sports Classic. ... North Carolina has completed its nonleague schedule and will play its next 20 games in the Atlantic Coast Conference. UP NEXTNorth Carolina: Plays at North Carolina State in its ACC opener Dec. 22.
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Wright powers Georgia Tech past slumping No. 20 Kentucky
Moses Wright scored 21 points and Georgia Tech recovered from a poor start to the season to beat No. Georgia Tech (1-2) rebounded with a strong performance following losses to state rivals Georgia State and Mercer. BIG PICTUREEven by Kentucky standards, this is a major rebuilding job and the Wildcats' youth showed against Georgia Tech. It was a key recovery for coach Josh Pastner's Georgia Tech team. Georgia Tech: At Nebraska on Wednesday night in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.