Malachi Moreno held his own against college basketball's best frontcourt

Despite early foul trouble and an extremely tough matchup, Malachi Moreno played an impressive game down low.

Feb 14, 2026; Gainesville, Florida, USA; Kentucky Wildcats center Malachi Moreno (24) posts up against Florida Gators center Micah Handlogten (3) 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 faced not only the most talented team they will play all season, but it was also the most physical. The Florida Gators entered Saturday's game as the best rebounding team in the country, with one of the best rim-protecting defenses overall. Although Kentucky's game at Florida ended in a loss, one of the bright spots was Malachi Moreno's play.

Even though Florida straightened up on the boards in the second half in part due to Moreno being in foul trouble, his play early helped Kentucky hang around as much as they did, taking a nine-point deficit into halftime. The Wildcats were even in the rebounding category with Florida in the first half and even though they were beat on the boards from then on, it was Moreno's play that was most impressive.

Moreno was going up against what will be by far the toughest matchup he will face all season in Florida's Reuben Chinyelu, who is one of the top rebounders in all of college basketball. Combine that with the size of the rest of Florida's frontcourt, along with having early foul trouble, and Moreno coming away with a double-double is a very impressive feat. Chinyelu still finished with his own double-double, because it's just natural for a player of his caliber, but Moreno's determination to not back down was the most important result from the game, because the entire team seemed to have that same attitude. Moreno had 11 points and rebounds in just 21 minutes on the floor, thanks to getting in foul trouble, picking up his fourth just two minutes into the second half.

Following the 92-83 loss, Mark Pope spoke about Moreno's play, making significant contributions even with the tough matchup he was assigned and foul trouble.

"Malcolm had a terrific game and limited minutes. You know, we felt better when he was on the floor. You know, I thought he gave us a physicality and a length. It was, was a real factor for us. So it was tough to, you know, manage with him, not on the floor, but he, he managed his fifth foul really well, and was able to play a significant amount of the second half."

Feb 7, 2026; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Kentucky Wildcats center Malachi Moreno (24), guard Jasper Johnson (2) and forward Braydon Hawthorne (right) celebrate from the bench during the second half against the Tennessee Volunteers at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images | Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

Then Malachi himself responded, jumping in and saying he was proud of how he prepared, but at the same time acknowledging that Kentucky still lost the rebound battle, no matter the opponent.

"They got a lot of size on the inside, so it was definitely a battle down there. I knew I had to prepare myself and I think I came in with the right mentality. But man, we lost the rebounding battle, so that's unacceptable."

The Wildcats held their own as best as they could, ultimately, but especially Moreno, who despite everything that could have allowed him to cave in and give up, did his job and never quit.