Florida Caps Season with Streak
No. 5 Florida defeated Kentucky 84-77 to cap their regular season with an 11th straight win, giving the Gators substantial momentum heading into conference tournaments. No. 20 Arkansas beat Missouri 88-84 in overtime, giving coach John Calipari his 900th career win and joining an elite group of college coaches to reach this milestone.
Florida's victory secured them the outright SEC regular-season title and the No. 1 seed in the upcoming conference tournament in Nashville. Their 25-6 overall record (16-2 in conference) has earned them a double bye, meaning they won't play until the quarterfinal round on Friday. In the win against Kentucky, forward Thomas Haugh led the Gators with 20 points and nine rebounds, with 17 of his points coming in the first half. Florida started the game on an 11-0 run and never trailed the Wildcats, completing a regular-season sweep of their rival. John Calipari's 900th win places him in an elite group of Division I men's coaches, joining Mike Krzyzewski, Jim Boeheim, Rick Pitino, and Roy Williams. At 67, Calipari is the second-youngest coach to reach the milestone, behind only Krzyzewski, and the third-fastest to do so in 1,185 career games. Now in his second season at Arkansas after 15 years with Kentucky, Calipari has guided the Razorbacks to a 23-8 record. His milestone victory came without the SEC's leading scorer, Darius Acuff Jr., who was out with an injury. Arkansas enters the SEC Tournament as the No. 3 seed, also earning a double bye into the quarterfinals. The tournament runs from March 11-15 at Bridgestone Arena, with the winner receiving an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
