Kentucky knew their rebounding should have been better against Florida

Rebounding was a clear difference-maker and Florida crushed Kentucky there on Friday.

Mar 13, 2026; Nashville, TN, USA; Kentucky Wildcats forward Mouhamed Dioubate (23) reacts after a made three point basket against the Florida Gators during the first half at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images | Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

Kentucky was absolutely crushed in the rebounding category against Florida on Friday and it turned out to be the difference in the game as they fell 71-63. Despite the Gators going just 3-20 from three, they won on the glass easily, posting a 50-29 advantage as they went on to get plenty of second-chance points as well as limiting Kentucky's looks on offense.

Having their way in the paint is the recipe for success for the Floridat Gators and Kentucky had no answer for them for much of the game. Despite the late surge from Kentucky, which cut the lead to five with 1:21 to go thanks to a Gator field-goal drought over eight minutes, it was the glass that ultimately hurt them. Florida was able to limit Kentucky to just eight offensive rebounds off of their 48 missed shots. Meanwhile, the Gators got 18 offensive rebounds of their own. The Wildcats knew they needed to be better on the glass.

Kentucky coach Mark Pope works the sideline against Florida during their quarterfinal game of the 2026 SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., Friday, March 13, 2026. | DENNY SIMMONS / THE TENNESSEAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

With head coach Mark Pope, he knew to beat the Gators, it starts with limiting them in both transition offense and rebounding. "I thought our guys, we didn't play well. We couldn't make a shot. We couldn't grab a rebound. Florida, they're a good team. Give them some credit there. They challenge you in transition. They challenge you on the glass. Last game we handled the glass, we couldn't handle transition. This game we handled transition and we couldn't handle the glass. You gave to be able to do both. You have to."

As for Mo Dioubate, he believes if Kentucky tightened up their rebounding, things would have been much better for his Wildcats. "I think they just did a really good job on the glass tonight," Mo Dioubate said after Kentucky's 71-63 loss to Florida. "We could have did a better job with rebounding. That's where I feel like it would have been a big difference in the game if we had rebounded more. We just got to be better."

If the Wildcats can clean up those self-inflicted mistakes and stay focused for a full 40 minutes, it could bode well for a potential run in the NCAA Tournament. They have continued to come up just short against teams, proving that staying focused all throughout could be the key. But, that's a big question mark at this point in the season for a team that is known for being inconsistent. Time and time again, deficits have haunted this team and that was more of the same against Florida.

The Wildcats fell just short once again to the Gators, as mistakes throughout the game came back to bite them. Now, it's all about turning their full attention to the big dance, looking to put all of their consistent issues behind them.