Florida Gators vs. Kentucky: Preview, Info, Where to Watch and More

Photo: Todd Golden; Credit: Zach Goodall

In the first meeting between these two squads, the Gators (14-13; 7-7 SEC) hung close to the Wildcats (18-9; 9-5 SEC) behind Colin Castleton's two-way excellence as he held Oscar Tshiebwe to just four points and posted 25 of his own, albeit in a loss.

However, this time around, Florida will be without the talented fifth-year big man after he suffered a broken right hand against Ole Miss two contests ago.

To secure a massive upset over a surging Kentucky team, the Gators will need multiple members of the 12 remaining scholarship players to step up on both ends.

You can find everything you need to know about the matchup below.

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Florida Gators vs. Kentucky Wildcats

Where: Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center, Gainesville, Fla.

When: Wednesday, Feb. 22 at 7 p.m. EST

Watch: ESPN

Radio: Gator Sports Network from LEARFIELD / SiriusXM 137/190 / SXM App 961

Odds: Florida is a 2.5-point underdog to Kentucky, according to the Sports Illustrated Sportsbook. The over/under is set at 139.5 points.

Series history: The Gators are 41-108 all-time against the Wildcats, including a 26-39 record at home. In the last meeting between the two programs, Kentucky fended off Florida's second-half comeback attempts in Lexington, 72-67, on Feb. 4, 2023.

Important stories

The rundown

When the Gators traveled to Lexington, Ky., on Feb. 4, the Wildcats walked out victorious but left Florida with hope for the eventual rematch 17 days later.

However, the loss of Castleton makes redemption a taller task to accomplish, as things have quickly changed for Todd Golden's squad.

Now, as the UF attempts to quickly reinvent itself without the offensive staple and elite rim protector in the mix, the Gators need a plethora of players to step up on both ends to accomplish the goal of splitting the season series with the longtime conference rival.

Foremost will be Florida's ability to defend, tapping back into the defensive dominance that saw the unit ranked as high as No. 7 in defensive efficiency per KenPom just a short time ago.

Namely, how they handle Tshiebwe and Chris Livingston on the interior after failing to slow Jalen Graham in the lopsided loss to Arkansas in their last outing will be crucial.

"Obviously, we have to do a good job," Golden said when asked about the importance of defending the interior against Kentucky. "We did a great job on Oscar the first time, and Colin was a big part of that. We got to do a better job collectively of helping each other out, knowing that it's probably going to be hard for one guy to just load up and stop them for 40 minutes. But we'll have some different things that we can do and that we can look at that I think will help us take on that challenge."

Jason Jitoboh and Aleks Szymczyk will shoulder the burden in the deep post against the UK big man, with Alex Fudge playing a secondary role against Livingston down low. The expectation won't be to halt the talented frontcourt duo this time around but rather limit its impact as much as possible.

On the offensive end, true freshman Riley Kugel will be looked at to continue his impressive stretch of games, averaging 15.5 points per game on 53.3% from the floor over his last four appearances as the leading scoring weapon.

The Gators will look to attack the cup off the dribble, as they did effectively in the first half against Arkansas, to sustain production on the scoreboard.

That is the new formula for success in an offense that now looks to guard and wings to shot-create for its output instead of getting the big consistent interior touches off pick-and-roll concepts. Ball movement and quick first steps in dribble drive are imperative to making the adjusted offensive style click.

Florida will also have to knock down the open shot looks it receives from the perimeter. Despite the struggles in that area throughout the year, it will be a major factor in the unit's success moving forward. Will Richard, Myreon Jones and Kowacie Reeves Jr. will lead UF in that area, per usual.

The contest — in which Kentucky currently holds a 2.5-point advantage on the point spread — is an uphill battle for the Gators, given the program's state.

Nonetheless, it's a game that could boost Florida through the remaining slate of the regular season and into the postseason.

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