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3 Florida fans ejected after grabbing Cason Wallace in UK … – Courier Journal
Story from the win: Kentucky Wildcats basketball claims third straight Quad-1 win against depleted Florida Gators
Three Florida basketball fans were ejected in the second half of Wednesday night’s game against Kentucky after they grabbed UK guard Cason Wallace.
Wallace was hustling for a loose ball on the sideline and fell into several Gators fans sitting courtside. Two of the fans appeared to grab Wallace’s shirt and waist as he recovered to get back onto the court, while another appeared to be pointing to the court when his arm hooked around Wallace’s neck.
All three were quickly removed from Stephen C. O’Connell Center after officials reviewed the interaction.
Wallace did not confront the fans, but Kentucky’s bench immediately called for a review and got it.
As the fans were ejected, one of them waived his arms to the crowd as they cheered them on.
Watch video of the incident here:
“My whole thing was, you know, ‘Come on,'” UK coach John Calipari said after the game. “(They told me), ‘Well, we’re gonna throw him out.’ The guy grabbed him around the (neck) … but anyway, it’s fine.”
Kentucky men’s basketball returns to the floor Wednesday night, traveling to Gainesville, Florida, for an SEC battle against Florida.
The Wildcats (18-9, 9-5 SEC) have won their past two games and are tied for third in the league standings alongside Tennessee. The Gators (14-13, 7-7) have lost four of their past five outings.
Florida will be without its top player, center Colin Castleton, who suffered a season-ending hand injury last week in a win over Ole Miss. Kentucky is hoping to return to full strength itself, as senior guards CJ Fredrick (rib) and Sahvir Wheeler (ankle) have sat out the last three contests.
During his weekly radio show Monday night, Kentucky coach John Calipari said it was still unclear whether Fredrick or Wheeler would be cleared to play Wednesday.
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When: 7 p.m. ET, Wednesday, Feb. 22
Where: O’Connell Center (10,500); Gainesville, Florida
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The game will be televised live on ESPN. Tom Hart (play-by-play) and Jimmy Dykes (analysis) will have the call.
Eligible subscribers can find the game on Spectrum 28, DISH Network 140 and DirecTV 206.
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You can watch the game through WatchESPN.com, the WatchESPN app, ESPN+ or fuboTV.
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You can stream ESPN on YouTube TV, which offers a free trial here, and can get a free trial with fuboTV here.
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Tom Leach (play-by-play) and Jack Givens (analyst) will have the UK radio network call on 840 AM in Louisville and both 630 AM and 98.1 FM in Lexington or online at UKAthletics.com.
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The Wildcats won the first meeting between the two this season 72-67 at Rupp Arena on Feb. 4. That extended Kentucky’s lead in the all-time series to 108-41. UK has won the past three matchups and eight of nine.
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Reach Kentucky men’s basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at rblack@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter at @RyanABlack.