Beating a team three times in a season or even a year is never easy, never mind in the span of a month. As the Gators geared up to take on Kentucky yet again, they knew it would be a battle.
With 15:33 to go in the second half, Florida took its then-largest lead of the game, dominating the Wildcats 45-32.
It was a lead it seemed the Gators wouldn’t look back from, until the tides shifted. A Xaivian Lee foul on a Kentucky 3-point attempt cut Florida’s lead to single digits, and the Gators got deja vu.
“It was kind of the same story each of the three times we played these guys this year,” head coach Todd Golden said. “We got up big in the second half … We had an opportunity to extend to a point where they couldn’t get back in the ball game, and we just got really sloppy with the ball.”
Once again, just as they did days ago, the Wildcats clawed back late and erased Florida’s double-digit lead. A Denzel Aberdeen 3-pointer closed the gap, the Gators leading only by five points, 66-61.
But Lee responded with a game-saving triple – an all-too-rare shot for either team throughout the contest. He then buried two free throws to put the game away, keeping alive the Gators’ SEC Tournament hopes.
“He stepped up and hits a big shot” forward Thomas Haugh said. “That’s what he does.”
The No. 1 Gators (26-6) topped the No. 9 Wildcats (21-13) 71-63 in Nashville, Tennessee, in the quarterfinal round of the Southeastern Conference Tournament on Friday. With the win, Florida advances to the semifinals and triples down on its dominance over Kentucky this season.
From tipoff, it was clear this would be the pair’s most physical matchup thus far.
Starting from the opening minutes of the first half, Florida’s defense got it going. The Gators forced three turnovers and committed zero in the first four minutes of the contest. Meanwhile, junior Alex Condon and Lee got the offense going.
However, Kentucky was not without a first-half surge of its own, and it eventually found its rhythm on the defensive end. Amid a slew of turnovers, the Gators saw their 20-10 lead cut to two points with 10:40 to go in the first half.
It was only a matter of time before Kentucky evened the score, and the Gators’ strong start was erased. However, Boogie Fland was there to respond. The sophomore guard hit back-to-back jumpers, sending the Gators on another spree with 8:56 to go.
With just 3:21 left in the half, the Gators were on a 13-2 run and captained a 33-22 lead. Meanwhile, Kentucky went 1 for 11 from the field during the stretch.
The Gators went into the half with a 37-28 lead, one they extended, only to lose it in the final minutes. But strong individual performances on Florida’s side wouldn’t let the game slip.
Fueling the effort, as he did for much of the game, was the All-SEC third team selection, Condon. He ended the game with a 22-point, 10-rebound double-double. Haugh followed him with 13 points and eight rebounds.
Leading the Wildcats was the former Gator, Aberdeen. His 17 points and five rebounds kept Kentucky alive, especially down the stretch. Mouhamed Dioubate followed with 14 points, three rebounds and five assists.
Despite shooting just 37.9% from the field and a jarring 15% from deep, the Gators capitalized on Kentucky’s fouls. Florida grabbed 24 points from the line, utilizing Kentucky’s 24 team fouls.
Led by Rueben Chinyelu and Condon’s 10 boards, the Gators also dominated the rebound battle, as they have for much of the season. They grabbed 50 boards while Kentucky only managed 29 despite being one of the only SEC teams that rival Florida’s size.
“It’s just how we play in general this entire year. Just go in there and fight for boards,” Haugh said.
The Gators will face the winner of Tennessee and Vanderbilt Saturday at 1 p.m. ET back in Bridgestone Arena.
Contact Ava DiCecca at adicecca@alligator.org. Follow her on X at @avadicecca24.
Ava is a sophomore sports journalism student and the Spring 2026 sports editor. Previously for The Alligator, she covered volleyball and did sports enterprise. Ava enjoys watching and playing sports in her free time and has been a Boston sports fan all her life. (Brad Marchand is still everything.)
