Mark Pope on Denzel Aberdeen: 'I never worry about the lights with him'

Kentucky head coach Mark Pope knows Denzel Aberdeen loves to compete, because in SEC play, he has been terrific.

Feb 14, 2026; Gainesville, Florida, USA; Florida Gators center Rueben Chinyelu (9) and Kentucky Wildcats guard Denzel Aberdeen (1) embrace after a game at Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images | Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

Kentucky basketball suffered a loss against the #14 Florida Gators on the road Saturday afternoon, 92-83, but the game still produced a few bright spots. Not only did Kentucky fight back from down as much as 16, a game where it could have gotten really out of hand, but big man Malachi Moreno held his own down low and guard Denzel Aberdeen produced on the offensive end.

We've already talked about Moreno's performance in a limited 21 minutes on the floor due to foul trouble, but Denzel Aberdeen's contributions need to be noted, especially given that he did all of it while playing his former school. Aberdeen, who was a key player off the bench on Florida's National Championship team last season, came to Kentucky in search of a bigger role. After struggling to start the season, Aberdeen has really turned things up a notch in SEC play.

Feb 4, 2026; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard Denzel Aberdeen (1) brings the ball up court during the second half against the Oklahoma Sooners at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images | Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

Five games into SEC play, Kentucky was shooting the ball at the highest clip of any team in the conference, which was surprising, but what was really eye-catching was who on the team was at the top of that list. Denzel Aberdeen was tied with fellow Kentucky teammate Collin Chandler for fifth in the SEC in three-point percentage through the first five games, really marking the turning point with thie team's ability to shoot the ball. Now, Aberdeen has been one of Kentucky's top contributors in not just shooting but overall scoring since SEC play began. He has scored double-digits in eight of 12 coference games so far, including most-recently a team-high 19 points against his former team, the Florida Gators. Following the game, Mark Pope discussed the jump he has made this season.

"Denzel is the ultimate competitor. He is," Pope said following his team-high 19 points vs. Florida. "I never worry about the lights with him. I never worry of the moment. I never worry about the distraction, because he loves to compete. This fan base (Florida) knows him. Of course, our fan base loves him so much. He just is a competitor. He's a special competitor."

Along with his 19 points, Aberdeen also made the big assist to Collin Chandler for his big three to put Kentucky within five with 36 seconds left. Even though Florida iced the game with free throws following that, it was a massive shot that made Florida fans sweat the end of it out.