Kentucky ends regular season with crushing 84-77 loss to Florida

The Wildcats attempted a late comeback, but fell short in the final seconds.

Mar 7, 2026; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Kentucky Wildcats forward Mouhamed Dioubate (23) celebrates a three pointer basket against the Florida Gators at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images | Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

The Kentucky Wildcats faced a massive opportunity to end the regular season on Saturday, playing host to the No. 5 Florida Gators in Rupp Arena. Not only was it Senior Day for Otega Oweh, Denzel Aberdeen, Zach Tow and Walker Horn, but it was also a big one for SEC Tournament seeding.

Kentucky needed the win to get on the right side of a massive swing as they could land anywhere from the 4 seed all the way to the 10 as loss would put them with a high possibility of playing on the first day of the conference tournament. They needed this one, but they just couldn't get it after going down big early and failing to complete a late comeback attempt, falling 84-77. Florida came in as the No. 5 team in the country and they certainly played like it for much of this one.

This game went as bad as Kentucky fans could have thought in the first half. After Florida started up 11-0, the Wildcats were never really able to take advantage, because when they did, the Gators answered. Kentucky cut an 11-point Florida lead to just one with 9:25 left in the half, but that's when Todd Golden's squad responded with a massive 22-6 run, which gave them a 17-point halftime lead, closing the half making 11 of their last 13 shots. The pace was killing Kentucky early, as the Gators were able to get back very quickly off of misses and got 19 fast-break points. Kentucky seemed to also have trouble with Florida's frontcourt, as Thomas Haugh had 17 points alone in the first half. Florida as a team also had 24 points in the paint. Otega Oweh himself was keeping Kentucky alive, as he had 17 points as well in the half, the only Wildcat in double figures.

Then there was the second half. The Wildcats needed to get out of the massive 17-point hole they found themselves in against one of the best teams in college basketball and the best frontcourt in the sport, but it was just too much to overcome against the No. 5 Florida Gators, a team who is fighting for the last 1-seed in the NCAA Tournament. Kentucky brought it within five with 29 seconds left, but they couldn't capitalize, as free-throws iced it for Florida. Time and time again, Kentucky has given up big runs in games throughout this season, but a comeback against a team like Florida combined with the 17-point hole is just hard to do anyway. That's especially so when you have only one player in double figures late in the game and a guy like Collin Chandler having just two points for the entire game. They tried though, like last time against the Gators, but it was ultimately unsuccessful.

At this point, there is really no room for moral victories. The Wildcats end with a 19-12 regular season record. Next up, Kentucky will wait to see where exactly they will land in the SEC Tournament after the rest of Saturday's games wrap up. Now, the Wildcats will be playing on Wednesday of the tournament next week. If Oklahoma beats Texas tonight, they get the 9-seed. If not, Kentucky will enter as the 10-seed.