Kentucky's next opponent has been best team in college basketball over last month

The Florida Gators have played like the best team in college basketball over the last month.

Feb 1, 2026; Gainesville, Florida, USA; Florida Gators head coach Todd Golden and Florida Gators forward Thomas Haugh (10) celebrate against the Alabama Crimson Tide during the second half at Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images | Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

Kentucky basketball has been on a hot streak over the last month, winning eight of their last nine games and going from 0-2 in conference play to 8-3, which is currently good enough for second-place in the SEC. But one team is ahead of them and they have been playing the best basketball of anyone in college basketball over the last month, who also happen to be their next opponent.

The Florida Gators are by far the best team in the SEC, ranking first in both offense and defense overall. They have also won nine of their last ten games like Kentucky, with a number of them coming in convincing fashion. Florida has wins in conference play over the likes of Georgia (92-77, 86-66), Tennessee (91-67), at Vandy (98-94), with their most-recent wins against Alabama (100-77) and at Texas A&M (86-67).

According to Bart Torvik analytics, Florida is No. 1 in college basketball over the last four weeks, an example of just how impressive their wins have been. The Gators have been an absolute juggernaut to say the least throughout conference play. Right now, their odds to win the SEC are -700 over on FanDuel Sportsbook. They have been doing all of this damage while shooting just 28 percent from three. That's dangerous for opponents to realize and Kentucky is going to have to face them on Saturday in Gainesville, a place where Florida is 4-1 through conference play.

Feb 1, 2026; Gainesville, Florida, USA; Florida Gators center Rueben Chinyelu (9) gestures after making a shot against the Alabama Crimson Tide during the second half at Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images | Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

The way Florida has been winning their games should be alarming to the rest of college basketball, not just the SEC. Kentucky is going to have their hands full against the team who has been playing the best of anyone in the entire country recently. Overall, the Gators rank 14th in offensive efficiency and 6th in defensive, including most-notably having an insane presence on the glass. They rank 2nd in offensive rebound percentage, as well as 3rd on the defensive end. Florida is mainly known for their defense, as they rank 18th in effective field-goal percentage, 7th in two-point percentage and 29th in block percentage in college basketball.

There is obviosuly areas of weakness, but with how good they are at nearly every other area besides shooting, it has seemed to not even matter. Florida's margin of victory in their wins need to be noted. Kentucky's recent hot streak is going to be tested in a major way as they go up against the hottest team in the country on Saturday down in Gainesville.