A thrilling SEC opener sees Florida heading to Kentucky for a brilliant Top 10 matchup on Saturday; can the Gators keep their unbeaten season going or will the Wildcats get a great win on their home court?
TV schedule: Saturday, January 4, 11:00 am ET. ESPN
Arena: Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky
One of the last few unbeaten teams, Florida (13-0) has little to complain about two months into the season. The Gators have handled every challenge thrown at them and head into SEC play with a lot of confidence. Although they may not have played a comparable competitive schedule to some of the other teams in their league, they won all but one of those games by double figures and definitely mean business.
A lot of the attention is rightfully cast upon Walter Clayton Jr. (17.2 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 3.8 apg), the former Iona guard who has become a major playmaker these last two years with the Gators. Florida is also seeing great production from Alijah Martin (15.2 ppg, 5.7 rpg), the junior guard who made the Final Four back at Florida Atlantic and is making a difference now in the SEC. Among a sea of talented bigs is Alex Condon (11.2 ppg, 7.5 rpg), a sophomore forward from Australia who’s been the best rebounder for the Gators.
Florida’s unbeaten start has them #6 in the AP Top 25, 6th in KenPom, and 4th in the most recent NET ratings. You won’t find a better rebounding team, with the Gators really using their athleticism and strength on the boards in this myriad of big wins. Again, the Gators have seen few standout opponents and will face a much stiffer challenge in the coming months against the SEC.
Everything is new this season for Kentucky (10-2), but Mark Pope’s team isn’t standing down against anyone. He returned to Lexington this offseason and threw together a team with veteran talent and varying levels of experience and has a successful start to show for it. The Wildcats boast impressive wins over Duke and Gonzaga, though they’re still shaking off that drubbing against Ohio State from two weekends ago.
With six players average double figures, there’s no shortage of talent, highlighted by Oklahoma transfer Otega Oweh (15.9 ppg, 3.6 rpg), who has really emerged as a playmaker this season. Another name that will torch opposing defenses is Koby Brea (11.9 ppg, 3.5 rpg), the sharpshooter transfer from Dayton who has made over 49% of his 3-pointers. Although he missed time earlier with injury, Lamont Butler (13.3 ppg, 4.1 apg) is a must-watch athlete who makes plays on both sides of the ball and has deep postseason experience with San Diego State.
Kentucky entered this New Year at #10 in the AP Top 25, though they sit just 21st in KenPom and 18th in NET. This offense is very good, especially when fully healthy and hitting shots, though Brea and Butler in particular have been a lethal combination in that regard. This new-look rotation is still figuring things out defensively, though they really showed up at times, including that win over Duke nearly two months ago.
The big question is how Florida handles their first big challenge of the season. Their lone road test came nearly two months prior against a much weaker Florida State squad and it’s clear that Kentucky means business. The Gators’ defense has played well for the most part and really limited long-range opportunities and will need a great defensive effort to get a win in Lexington.
The Wildcats have been far from perfect but have the talent to make a statement with a win over this Florida team. Clayton might be the best player on the court but you could argue that Kentucky has the best team effort. They’ll need their bigs winning those important battles against Condon and the other Gators. Florida is a consistent shooting team but they’d need a great shooting effort early and often on the road.
Prediction: Kentucky 85, Florida 81