Florida Men’s Basketball Faces Familiar Foe in SEC Quarterfinals

Florida men’s basketball will face an opponent it knows all too well for its quarterfinals SEC tournament matchup Friday.

The Gators will take on the Kentucky Wildcats for their third matchup of the season after Kentucky clawed to an 87-82 win over the Missouri Tigers in the second round of the SEC tournament Thursday. 

Florida, who entered the tournament with a double-bye as the No. 1 seed, finished off its regular season defeating Kentucky 84-77 Saturday to cap off an 11-game win streak.

The Gators had the opportunity to run away with the game in the second half up by 20 points, but Kentucky chopped the lead to just five points with 19 seconds left. 

Florida head coach Todd Golden said the team did not finish the game off strong. 

“We didn’t make enough winning plays in the last 10 minutes,” Golden said, “allowed them to have some hope the last five minutes or so.”

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Florida junior forward Thomas Haugh displayed his dominance on both sides of the court, which is a key for Friday’s game. He led the Gators with 20 points and nine rebounds. Six of his nine rebounds were defensive, matching senior guard Xaivian Lee for the most on the night. 

Shutting down Rupp Arena was a collective effort by the Gators with senior guard Boogie Fland right behind Haugh, netting 16 points and the other three starters also recording double-digit scoring. 

To notch its third straight win over Kentucky this season, Florida will need to continue seeing scoring production from all its starters. 

Kentucky’s late-game push showed that Florida has to find a way to remain composed when under pressure. 

Kentucky guard Otega Oweh proved a challenge for Florida defensively, leading the Wildcats’ attempted comeback with 24 points. To be successful Friday, Florida will need to shut down Oweh, who went 8-for-21 from the floor and 4-for-8 from the perimeter.

During Florida’s first matchup against Kentucky, a 92-83 win on Feb. 14, Kentucky guard Collin Chandler led the team with 18 points but was limited to a mere two points on Saturday.  

To come away with the win, Condon said Florida needs to stick to its gameplan.

“We got to have the same exact mindset we came into those first two games,” Condon said.

Coverage of Florida’s quarterfinal in Nashville starts at 12:30 p.m. Friday on 98.1-FM/AM-850 WRUF. Tipoff. Is set for 1 p.m.

Category: Gators Men's Basketball, SEC