Florida Gators clinch outright 2014 SEC regular-season title with Kentucky loss

By Adam Silverstein
February 27, 2014

No. 1 Florida Gators basketball (26-2, 15-0 SEC) clinched the outright regular-season 2014 Southeastern Conference Championship on Thursday night without even stepping foot on the hardwood.

Now four games ahead in the SEC standings with only three contests left to play – after No. 17 Kentucky (21-7, 11-4 SEC) fell 71-67 at home to Arkansas in overtime on Thursday night – Florida is guaranteed to finish the season in first place and bring home the regular-season title for the seventh time in school history.

Six of those seven titles have come under head coach Billy Donovan with the Gators winning three in the last four seasons (2011, 2013) and back-to-back regular-season SEC crowns for just the second time in school history (2000-01).

UF has been in sole possession of five of its seven league titles and done so in consecutive seasons for the first time in program history.

Florida also clinched the No. 1 overall seed in the 2014 SEC Tournament, which is set for March 12-16 in Atlanta, GA. UF will get two byes and play its first game on Friday, March 14 at 1 p.m. against the No. 8 or No. 9 seed.

The Gators have won three SEC Tournament titles in school history, doing so consecutively in three-straight years from 2005-07. Florida’s first and only time sweeping its league crowns was in 2007.

Florida looks to continue setting records and making history this season. Below are a number of other program marks that the Gators have set in 2014:

» Record to start a season (overall): 26-2
» Record to start a season (SEC): 15-0
» Winning streak (overall): 20 games
» SEC wins (single season): 15
» SEC road wins (consecutive): 8
» Home wins (overall, consecutive): 30
» Home wins (SEC, consecutive): 16

4 Comments

  1. uf_84 says:

    Like the ol ball coach used to say (Quoting Bobby Jones) “You can’t take money to the grave but you can take championships.” Nothing is sweeter than winning a title and hanging a banner.
    Hopefully we’re just getting started. Keep on rolling Gators!!

  2. Ken (CA) says:

    woo hoo! Arkansas played an amazing game, especially in last 3 minutes to take it to OT, when looked like they could fold. UK is only team to ever go through SEC undefeated (5 times I think), and I hope UF even though the guys have nothing important to play for next 3 games focus and win. How great it would be to be the only other team to go undefeated through conference. They have so much heart, I don’t expect them to lay down, but they have had a tough month of close games and some effort issues, especially defending the 3 pt. Really think they have the character and maturity to finish it off, but we will see

  3. Michael Jones says:

    That Arkansas team is unorthodox but long, athletic, and also pretty tough-minded. They gave us fits down in Fayettevile and now have swept UK. Wow. Pretty impressive. They could make some noise in the SEC tourney and if they get into the big dance, could do some damage.

    Congrats to them for winning in Rupp Arena. Can never see enough of that.

    GO GATORS!!!

  4. Sharon Milner says:

    Go Gators and thanks!!

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