5 Keys to Victory

If the Cats are going to win in Gainesville tonight, it's going to take a much better effort than the one they had against Georgia this past weekend. That being said, here are five keys to victory for Kentucky:

1. Neutralize the crowd early. If the Wildcats can get off to a hot start like they did against UNC, Louisville, and UConn, the raucous crowd of the O'Connell Center will be quieted early and become a non-factor.

2. Push the tempo. Against Louisville and Georgia, it seemed as though the Cats became reluctant to push the ball with as much urgency as they had earlier in the year. Some of this was the result of zone defense, but at times, it almost seemed like Wall and Bledsoe forgot the style of offense that has brought so much success to this team. Let's hope they rediscover the frenetic, open style of basketball against the Gators, because, let's face it, it is a lot of fun to watch.

3. Control the paint. No team in the country has the size to match up with Patterson, Cousins, and Orton inside, and Florida is, by its very nature, a perimeter-based team, so this one is simple. UK's bigs need to control the glass on both ends of the floor, and the guards need to look to Patterson and Cousins early and often.

4. Play with swagger. A little bit of cockiness is not always a bad thing, and given that the Cats are 16-0 and no. 2 in the country, they need to take a bit of an attitude into the game tonight. The Cats should know that they are a better team than Florida and take the floor with a desire to prove it to a national audience.

5. Darius Miller. After looking awful against Louisville and even worse against Georgia, Miller needs to step up and start producing for this team. In order for Kentucky to be a truly great team, they need Darius Miller to make outside shots, plain and simple. Once he starts draining threes, the middle of the floor will open up for his patented driving floater, but the key is consistency from beyond the arc.

Should be a great game tonight, I'm looking forward to a crazy atmosphere and a much better performance by the Wildcats.