To paraphrase
Oscar Hammerstein II, let's start with
Chandler Parsons; he's a very good place to start. Parsons has always been talented, and he's always been versatile. But Saturday, he had the best, and most important, game of his career. Parsons scored 17 points on 6-of-10 from the field, including a 2-of-4 mark from beyond the arc. He also added 12 rebounds, five assists and a block. But the numbers don't really do Parsons' performance justice. The senior forward was the most consistent -- probably the
only consistent -- source of points down the stretch for Florida. His crash-the-glass tendencies gave Florida two huge buckets on missed shots late in the second half. (Any time one of his teammates shot the ball, Parsons flew to the rim; it was a remarkable thing to watch.) His dribble penetration gave Florida its best looks all game long and yielded one of the best passes (an impossibly perfect, blind behind-the-back dropoff) you'll ever see. And his clutch free throw down the stretch -- free throws being easily the worst part of Parsons' game -- helped hold off Kentucky's late run. What do you want from a star? Consistent productivity, a healthy dose of flair, some defense-challenging versatility and clutch plays when they matter most. Parsons delivered on all counts Saturday night. Florida will celebrate as a team, but in many ways, this win was his.