After Kentucky sprang from the gates in fine form against Florida on Wednesday night, the Gators could well have folded and conceded to the Wildcats.
Instead, even without Colin Castleton, they fought — and though that fight was only enough to earn an 82-74 loss, it and the flashes shown are reason for hope for the future.
The brightest of those flashes on this night was unquestionably Riley Kugel. Florida’s star freshman had a career-best night with 24 points, splashing in four threes and adding two rebounds, two assists, and a steal to his scoring. His shot was as wet as it has been as a Gator, he repeatedly worked to get good shots both beyond and inside the arc, and he made six of seven free throws, including all three crucial ones after being fouled on a three late in the game.