Florida Basketball vs. Kentucky: SEC Quarterfinals Showdown
There’s a common saying in sports that it’s hard to beat a team three times in one season. Yet that’s exactly what Florida will be aiming to do in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals on Friday.
No. 4 Florida (25-7, 16-2 SEC) is slated to meet the Kentucky Wildcats (21-12, 11-8) in Nashville for what will be their third meeting this season.
While both matchups have resulted in a Gators victory, their most recent showdown in Lexington, in which Florida won 84-77, gives the Wildcats reason to believe they may have a chance to advance. The Gators led by almost 20 points in the second half last week, but Kentucky was able to regroup and pull the game back to within two possessions. While Florida inevitably won, their meeting in Nashville has higher stakes than in either of the pair’s two previous matchups.
The Gators will rely heavily on forward Thomas Haugh, who leads the team in scoring. As has frequently been the case, Haugh paced the Gators in their last showing with the Wildcats, adding 20 points.
But the Gators, as of late, are versatile. In their first face off with Kentucky in February, Xaivian Lee led Florida with 22 points. Lee, who started the season underproducing, to say the least, has been hotter than ever since then. He’s averaging 11.6 points per game, which is now third on Florida, though the Gators have six players averaging at least 10.
Sophomore guard Boogie Fland, who is tied with Lee in scoring, played a key role in Florida’s victory against Kentucky a week ago. While he had a quieter game against the Wildcats in February, Fland put up 16 points in last Saturday’s meetup, which was second only to Haugh. He was also crucial on the defensive end, having tallied four steals across the two games with the Wildcats.
In their last meeting, Kentucky drew back after falling behind by as much as 17 in the first half. So, the focus for the Gators on Friday will be to keep Kentucky from gaining momentum as the afternoon wears on. Florida’s defense will specifically need to contain Otega Oweh, who put up 28 in the Wildcats’ comeback attempt last week.
A name Florida knows well, Denzel Aberdeen, has also been a crucial part of Kentucky’s offense this season. The former Gator sits second on the Wildcats in scoring at 13 points per game. The Gators’ defense could look to face guard Aberdeen at times, as his field goal percentage (43.3%) is worse than all of Kentucky’s other starters, and he has shown a regular willingness to put up poor-percentage mid-range attempts when pressured.
Florida will look to complete the season sweep and advance to the SEC Tournament semifinals at 1 p.m. on Friday.
Category: Basketball, Gators Men's Basketball
