In Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’,” one of the most notable lines is “Playing anything to roll the dice just one more time.” That’s the opportunity Kentucky Basketball has on Friday afternoon in the SEC Tournament Quarterfinals. They have a third shot at the Florida Gators, this year’s SEC regular-season outright champions and reigning National Champions.
Kentucky has been close against the Gators twice this season. Even though they haven’t led at any point in either game, they’ve been right there.
They have had chances to seize control of both games. Could the third time be the charm?
The Cats have momentum with two wins so far in the SEC Tournament. Now, on to Friday, Big Blue Nation is showing up. Bridgestone Arena is becoming Rupp Arena South, and it could prove to be a factor in Friday’s battle.
We know who Florida is at this point. They are looking like a team that could win the national championship… again. They are extremely talented, deep, physical, and experienced. They’re also extremely battle-tested. Nothing fazes them. They played a ridiculously tough non-conference schedule, and it prepared them for SEC play and the Postseason. It’s going to take everything Kentucky has to beat this Gators team.
Let’s look at the key players to watch on the Gators and keys to tomorrow’s game, plus one stat that could be what ultimately decides this game.
Players to watch on Florida
1. No. 10: Thomas Haugh — 6-9, 215 lbs. Sr. Forward; NEW OXFORD, Pa.
Stats: 17.2 pts, 6.1 rebs, 47.1 FG%, 34.4 3-PT FG%, 75.6 FT%, 33.4 mpg
Feb. 14 vs. Kentucky: 17 pts (5-12 FG, 1-5 3-PT FG), 6-10 FT, 8 rebs, 2 ast, 1 stl, 1 blk, 34 mins
March 7 at Kentucky: 20 pts (7-14 FG, 3-6 3-PT FG), 3-4 FT, 9 rebs, 3 ast, 3 stl, 37 mins
Haugh is on the First Team All-SEC after a magnificent season. He’s an extremely experienced player, and he’s also got really good versatility. A really good scorer, Haugh will look to get to the basket and not be afraid to let it fly from three-point range.
2. No. 21: Alex Condon — 6-11, 236 lbs. Jr. Forward/Center; PERTH, Australia
Stats: 14.8 pts, 7.6 rebs, 43 blk, 54.5 FG%, 15.7 3-PT FG%, 65.1 FT%, 30.5 mpg
Feb. 14 vs. Kentucky: 14 pts (4-9 FG), 6-9 FT, 11 rebs, 2 ast, 1 blk, 35 mins
March 7 at Kentucky: 14 pts (6-8 FG), 2-4 FT, 5 rebs, 4 ast, 2 stl, 2 blk, 28 mins
Condon is an efficient big man who gets to the rim on offense and protects it on defense. He’s a fundamentally sound, polished player who does countless things right. This will be a tough cover for Kentucky.
3. No. 0: Boogie Fland — 6-3, 185 lbs. So. Guard; BRONX, N.Y. (Arkansas Transfer)
Stats: 11.6 pts, 2.5 rebs, 58 stl, 44.1 FG%, 23.2 3-PT FG%, 72.8 FT%, 29.8 mpg
Feb. 14 vs. Kentucky: 8 pts (2-10 FG), 4-6 FT, 4 rebs, 2 ast, 3 stl, 26 mins
March 7 at Kentucky: 16 pts (4-8 FG, 2-3 3-PT FG), 6-8 FT, 2 rebs, 6 ast, 1 stl, 33 mins
Despite being hot and cold shooting the ball, Fland is a really good player. He can distribute the ball and get to the rim. In addition, he’s active on defense and looks to swipe the ball from the opposing offense. Kentucky has done a good job so far in the SEC Tournament limiting the turnovers. It will be paramount to keep that going against Florida on Friday afternoon.
4. No. 1: Xaivian Lee — 6-4, 180 lbs. Sr. Guard; TORONTO (Princeton Transfer)
Stats: 11.6 pts, 3.8 rebs, 129 ast.-53 TO, 41.5 FG%, 27.7 3-PT FG%, 78.7 FT%, 27.1 mpg
Feb. 14 vs. Kentucky: 22 pts (7-12 FG, 4-7 3-PT FG), 4-4 FT, 2 rebs, 3 ast, 1 stl, 25 mins
March 7 at Kentucky: 11 pts (4-11 FG, 1-3 3-PT FG), 2-4 FT, 7 rebs, 5 ast, 31 mins
Lee cannot afford to get lost in the shuffle when Kentucky is on defense. He leads the Gators in assists and can shoot it from three-point range. Pressuring him with the ball is paramount, and the Cats must contest every shot he takes.
5. No. 9: Rueben Chinyelu — 6-10, 265 lbs. Sr. Center; ENUGWU-AGIDI, Nigeria (Washington State Transfer)
Stats: 11.4 pts, 11.7 rebs, 58.3 FG%, 0-2 3-PT FG, 69% FT, 24.6 mpg
Feb. 14 vs. Kentucky: 10 pts (4-7 FG), 2-2 FT, 11 rebs, 1 ast, 1 stl, 23 mins
March 7 at Kentucky: 13 pts (4-8 FG), 5-9 FT, 8 rebs, 25 mins
Chinyelu is going to get his points and rebounds Friday. He’s just that good. It’s a matter of Kentucky containing him and limiting the impact he makes that will go a long way towards determining the outcome of this game Friday.
6. No. 7: Urban Klavzar — 6-1, 190 lbs. Jr. Guard; DOMZALE, Slovenia
Stats: 9.9 pts, 1.5 rebs, 43.8 FG%, 40.6 3-PT FG%, 91.1 FT%, 21.3 mpg
Feb. 14 vs. Kentucky: 19 pts (7-13 FG, 5-11 3-PT FG), 1 reb, 29 mins
March 7 at Kentucky: 3 pts (1-3 FG, 1-2 3-PT FG), 15 mins
Like Lee, Klavzar is a player Kentucky cannot lose track of. He can shoot it from deep, and that’s crucial for a guy like him who comes off the bench as the 6th man.
7. No. 20: Isaiah Brown — 6-4, 210 lbs. So. Guard; ORLANDO, Fla.
Stats: 5.7 pts, 2.5 rebs, 48.8 FG%, 37.8 3-PT FG%, 74.4 FT%, 12.6 mpg
Feb. 14 vs. Kentucky: 1 reb., 2 ast, 2 stl, 11 mins
March 7 at Kentucky: 7 pts (2-6 FG, 1-4 3-PT FG), 2-3 FT, 2 rebs, 2 ast, 1 stl, 15 mins
Brown has been more of a scorer recently for the Gators. Kentucky cannot let him get too many touches and shots when he’s on the court Friday.
8. No. 3: Micah Handlogten — 7-1, 260 lbs. Sr. Center; LAKE NORMAN, N.C. (Marshall Transfer)
Stats: 4.2 pts, 6 rebs/gm., 63% FG, 0-1 3-PT FG, 37% FT, 15 mpg
Feb. 14 vs. Kentucky: 2 pts (1-1 FG), 0-1 FT, 5 rebs, 1 ast, 2 stl, 17 mins
March 7 at Kentucky: 5 rebs, 2 blk, 14 mins
Handlogten is a terrific backup big man. He comes in and impacts the game in multiple areas, and that’s why this Gators team is so good.
Head Coach: Todd Golden (4th Season, 101-39; 7th Season, 158-75) — 40 years old
The 2026 SEC Coach of the Year, Golden led the Gators to the SEC Tournament championship last year, and he and the Gators backed that up with a national championship in the NCAA Tournament. Say what you want about his personality, but Golden has gotten the Gators back to the top of the college basketball world. Players love playing for him, and that’s important in today’s world of college basketball.
Prior to Florida, Golden led the San Francisco Dons for three seasons and took them to the 2022 NCAA Tournament, the Dons’ first berth in the Big Dance since 1998.
As a senior point guard at Saint Mary’s, he ranked second in the nation with a 3.68 assists-to-turnovers ratio and led the West Coast Conference with a .574 3-point field goal percentage. The lone captain of Saint Mary’s 2007-08 team, Golden finished his career as the Gaels’ all-time leader in free-throw percentage (.852) and eighth with 269 career assists. Golden also played on Saint Mary’s on their 2005 NCAA Tournament team.
Feb. 14 at Florida: Gators 92, Wildcats 83
Florida went 10-28 from three-point range, with Klavzar making five of them, in a wire-to-wire win. They took advantage of 14 Kentucky turnovers into 25 points and out-rebounded the Wildcats 45-37. Lee led the Gators with 22 points, including four three-pointers.
Kentucky fell behind by as many as 16 points midway through the second half. But behind Collin Chandler’s five three-pointers, they made it a two-possession game in the final minute. The Cats had four players in double figures, including Denzel Aberdeen, playing his first game in Gainesville since transferring, leading the Cats with 19 points.
March 7 vs. Florida: Gators 84, Wildcats 77
This game was weird. Florida started the game on an 11-0 run, and then unleashed a 13-0 run to effectively take control later in the first half. If you take those runs away, Kentucky outscored the Gators 77-60.
Otega Oweh had 28 points on his Senior Day, making four three-pointers. Denzel Aberdeen has 15 points on his Senior Day.
The stat sheet was pretty even in this game, and Kentucky made a run late to get it to two possessions in the final minute. If they hadn’t fallen behind 11-0 early and by 20 points midway through the second half, they could have easily won this game. They were right there, even keeping the rebound battle tight at 41-40 and equalling Florida 14-14 on the offensive glass.
Keys to the Game
1. Win the first eight minutes
If Kentucky can get out in front, or at least stay within one possession, they can absolutely win this game. But the first eight minutes will decide this game.
2. Rebounding
Kentucky must keep the battle on the boards close. That means Malachi Moreno, Andrija Jelavic, Mouhamed Dioubate, Brandon Garrison, and even the guards stepping up and making an impact on the glass.
3. Three-point shooting
The Cats must knock down some open shots to stretch the Gators’ defense. They also must contest the Gators from three-point range if they have open shots from beyond the arc. It will be very interesting to watch how Kam Williams, who missed the first two games against Florida, impacts the Cats’ defense against Florida’s wings. That could be a deciding factor in this game.
4. 40 minutes
Mark Pope and the Cats are not mincing words and holding back when saying what they have to do on Friday. They have to play 40 minutes to beat this Gators team. It can be done.
Score Prediction: Wildcats 79, Gators 78
Here’s a stat to give you some optimism. Since becoming a Power Five head coach prior to the 2023-24 season, when he was at BYU, Mark Pope is 5-0 on the 13th day of any month. The Cougars won on January, February, and March 13th in 2024. Kentucky beat Indiana on December 13th earlier this season. Last year on March 13th, Otega Oweh turned the corner and swished a floater to beat Oklahoma in a memorable 85-84 win here in Nashville.
Friday is March 13th. I’m someone who believes in good luck on Friday the 13th. Given that, Pope’s record on the 13th day of any month, and the Cats winning two games already in the SEC Tournament, I believe the Cats will finally beat Florida this season when it really counts and advance to the weekend in Nashville for the first time in seven years.
Don’t Stop Believin’. It’s time to roll the dice.
