GAINESVILLE, Fla. — On a day seemingly everything went Florida’s way, Kentucky found a way to win.

Freshman big Aaron Bradshaw’s 3-pointer swished through the net with 1:21 remaining, giving the No. 6 Wildcats a 79-76 lead. Then the visitors fended off the Gators’ last-minute efforts, escaping with an 87-85 victory in the SEC opener for both teams at the O’Connell Center.

"We won. We could have lost, and I'd be up here saying, 'Hey, we'll learn from it and move on,'" Kentucky coach John Calipari said. "But that's what we did. We didn't come down here and bury 'em."

The Wildcats (11-2, 1-0 SEC) entered Saturday worried about their rebounding. In their previous outing, a 96-70 home victory against Illinois State last week, the visitors grabbed 24 offensive rebounds and won the battle on the boards by five (45-40). The Gators (10-4, 0-1) represented a bigger challenge on multiple levels, as they boasted the top rebounding squad in Division I, averaging more than 45 per game. But the Wildcats more than held their own, grabbing just three fewer boards (43-40) than the hosts.

"That's outrebounding them," Calipari said with a smirk.

For all the focus on Florida’s rebounding prowess, however, the hosts didn’t batter Kentucky down low Saturday; the Wildcats actually had more points in the paint (40-36).

The Gators simply found some luck from distance. Florida sank an average of 7.6 3-pointers per game in its first 13 contests in 2023-24. The Gators surpassed that number by halftime, connecting on eight, which included Zyon Pullin’s logo heave as well as another try that banked in off the glass.

Florida ended Saturday with nine triples, nearly double Kentucky’s five.

"I told the team, 'They're gonna make every shot,'" Calipari said. "We've got to go over these pick and rolls. We've got to go over dribble handoffs. They may have missed (shots) against Baylor; they're not missing them (on) this court. And they didn't."

But the 3-point totals were less important than the timing.

Bradshaw’s big bucket in the closing minutes proved to be the difference in a tight tussle that saw four lead changes and seven ties.

Calipari pointed out in the first half, Bradshaw didn't counter Florida's front-line physicality. Bradshaw was "muscled" and "manhandled" by the Gators early on, Calipari said. Couldn't hold onto the ball. Or make a layup.

Didn't matter in the waning moments, though.

"We ran an out-of-bounds play for him to get a shot," Calipari said. "I (told him), 'That's how much I believe in you. But I can't fight for you.'"

Bradshaw couldn't put into words the feeling of quieting a raucous crowd with one flick of the wrist.

"It was fun. I like that," said Bradshaw, who finished with 10 points (all after halftime) and seven rebounds. "I love when (opposing fans) yap."

Aside from Bradshaw’s clutch triple, bright spots for the Wildcats’ heralded freshman class — so spectacular all season long — weren’t always easy to find.

The first-year stars struggled mightily at times in UK’s first true road game — the meeting with Louisville at the KFC Yum! Center last month was flooded with Kentucky fans, making it closer to a neutral-site matchup — of the 2023-24 campaign.

Bradshaw didn’t score until 9:05 to play. Rob Dillingham had four turnovers (against just one assist and six points). Justin Edwards had six points, but his final basket came with 16:18 to play. The normally reliable Reed Sheppard had a quiet first half but came alive in the final 20 minutes; Sheppard had nine of his 14 points after intermission, with a quartet of timely free-throw makes in the final 8.2 seconds to seal the two-point win.

"You know what the score is, because you've got to try and get away from the defense," Sheppard said. "You know they're gonna come foul, so you've got to be strong with the ball. But ... you've just gotta zone everything out, step up to the line and shoot the ball with confidence."

Sheppard tied D.J. Wagner for top scoring honors among Kentucky’s freshmen. Wagner had 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting. He led all Wildcats in second-half scoring, converting 5 of 7 field goal attempts for 12 points.

With the freshmen finding their way, the Wildcats’ senior duo (guard Antonio Reeves and forward Tre Mitchell) were a steadying presence. Reeves poured in a team-high 19 points, and Mitchell posted a double-double (12 points and a team-leading 10 boards).

Unlike earlier games this season, when UK won with ease as its offense flustered opponents with ruthless efficiency, Saturday was far from a masterpiece. The Wildcats shot only 25% beyond the arc and had more turnovers (nine) than assists (six). And they led for just 5:25 (compared to the Gators' 28:35 on the right side of the scoreboard).

Despite all that went against them, they still felled a Florida squad that had been riding a six-game winning streak.

"I don't care that they're young," Calipari said of his team, a throwback group in the vein of his early clubs at UK, heavily relying upon underclassmen. "They're dogs.

"They have a will to win."

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Reach Kentucky men’s basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at rblack@gannett.com and follow him on X at @RyanABlack.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky basketball: John Calipari's club rallies for SEC-opening win