ESPN Men's Basketball

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- With nine seconds left and a victory against Florida assured, Kentucky's Patrick Patterson stepped to the free throw line. The Rupp Arena crowd began chanting "One more year!"

Chalk that up to just plain greed.

In many ways, it's surprising that Patterson stayed on campus long enough to see the end of his junior season and to be honored during the Wildcats' Senior Day ceremonies on Sunday. Surprising and rewarding, for both parties.

"I'm so glad we've gotten to this point," said his mother, Tywanna. "What he's gone through the past three years has helped make him into the person he is today."

The 6-foot-9 Patterson was one of the most coveted recruits in the insanely talented class of 2007. He played in the McDonald's all-star game alongside Blake Griffin, Derrick Rose, Michael Beasley, O.J. Mayo, Kevin Love, Eric Gordon and Jerryd Bayless, all of whom are already earning paychecks in the NBA.

Patterson's career, though, has seen its share of setbacks and speed bumps. Originally recruited by Tubby Smith, he signed with Billy Gillispie. An outstanding freshman season ended prematurely because of an ankle injury. Last season, his team went to the NIT as Gillispie got fired.

Then new coach John Calipari came in with his dribble-drive offense and a new role for the program's biggest star. After playing the low post for two years under Gillispie and relentlessly fighting for space in the paint, Patterson was suddenly asked to improve his perimeter game and spend more time on the wing facing the basket.

No longer would he be the team's primary inside scoring threat; that distinction belongs to freshman DeMarcus Cousins. No longer would he be the headliner; superstar freshman point guard John Wall now grabs most of the attention.

"He just says, 'Whatever you need,'" Calipari said. "Think about that. He could have said, 'This is my team and I get all the shots.' But he never did. He just wants to win, and that's why we're 29-2."

Patterson has always had the reputation of a workout warrior, but he admits getting ready for this season took its toll. Especially when Calipari put him with the guards during practice drills instead of the big men, forcing him to work on the unfamiliar skills of ballhandling and shooting.

"Day in and day out in practice, it was tough," he said. "I always caught myself trying to post up more than being on the perimeter. The transition was rough, but it was fun."

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LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Quick postgame thoughts from Rupp Arena, where No. 3 Kentucky beat Florida 74-66 on Sunday:

• The Gators showed they could hang tough against a top-5 team on the road. After trailing by 18 in the first half, they fought back to get within two at 60-58 with 6:52 left. But like the teams' earlier meeting in Gainesville, Kentucky pulled away late. And now Florida may be on the wrong side of the NCAA tournament bubble, ending the regular season at 20-11 and limping into the SEC tournament on a three-game losing streak. The Gators likely have to win at least one and possibly two games in Nashville to feel good about the news on Selection Sunday. If not, they could be headed to their third straight NIT.
• John Wall had a quiet first half, at least by his standards. But the freshman always seems to make the big play at the most important time, and that happened again Sunday. Once Florida cut the lead to two, Wall found Patrick Patterson off a high pick and roll for a dunk. He then hit a 3-pointer and added a free throw to make it 66-60. The game was never in much doubt after that.
• The Gators managed to handle Kentucky's size inside and actually dominated the points in the paint at 36-22. But their guards just couldn't get it going. Starting backcourt mates Erving Walker and Kenny Boynton combined to go just 8-of-29 from the field. Walker, who suffered through a miserable 3-for-15 shooting day, missed two wide-open 3s on one late trip with a chance to get his team back in the game.
• Kentucky clinched the outright SEC title, its 44th conference crown.

More to come after postgame interviews.

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Quick halftime thoughts from Rupp Arena, where No. 3 Kentucky leads Florida 41-31 at the break:

• It looked like the Wildcats might blow this one open after a 14-0 run midway through the half made the score 34-16. But Florida did good work to get the deficit back to a manageable margin before intermission as Kentucky got careless with the ball and with its fouls.
• John Calipari honored the seniors by starting Perry Stevenson, Ramon Harris and former walk-on Mark Krebs. All three played until the 14:37 mark and left with a 7-3 lead.
• The best news for Kentucky, other than having the lead, has been the play of Darius Miller and Darnell Dodson. The Wildcats have been looking all year for consistent outside shooting and production from the 3-spot. Miller and Dodson each have eight points at halftime and are a combined 4-for-5 on 3s. Just what Calipari wants to see in March.
• Erik Murphy has given Florida a nice boost off the bench with seven first-half points. Murphy has scored double-digit points in just one game all season.

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Greetings from Rupp Arena, where we're about an hour from tipoff of the regular-season finale between Kentucky and Florida. Some quick pregame thoughts:

• It's "Senior" Day for Kentucky, and I put that in quotes because all of the attention will be focused on underclassmen instead of actual seniors Perry Stevenson, Ramon Harris and Mark Krebs, who are all reserves. Junior Patrick Patterson will go through Senior Day ceremonies as he's likely headed to the NBA. And, of course, it's almost certainly the last home game for freshmen John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins and perhaps Eric Bledsoe.
• There's no question which team needs this game more. Kentucky has already wrapped up the SEC title and can be assured of a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. Florida, meanwhile, is as bubble-icious as it comes in at 20-10 (9-6 SEC) and an RPI of 55. A road win over a top-5 team is exactly what the Gators need to impress the selection committee, especially after losing to Vanderbilt at home the last time out.
• Kentucky beat Florida 89-77 in Gainesville in the teams' first meeting, but that game was tied with 5:13 left before Bledsoe took over.
• Should be some fun matchups in the frontcourt. The Wildcats have a ton of size with Cousins, Patterson and Daniel Orton. But Florida can counter with the 6-foot-10 Vernon Macklin and 6-9 Chandler Parsons, both of whom have elevated their offensive games in recent weeks.