Kentucky Wildcats at Florida Gators
· SEC Tournament - Quarterfinal
No. 4 Florida cruises to third victory over Kentucky to open SEC Tournament title defense
The Gators (26-6) never trailed and were tied only once while winning their 12th straight game. The regular-season SEC champions, who are seeking a sixth tournament title overall, will play either No. 22 Vanderbilt or No. 25 Tennessee in Saturday's semifinals.
Thomas Haugh added 13 points for Florida, and Xaivian Lee had 11.
Kentucky (21-13) now has one more loss all-time (32) than titles (31) in this tournament. The ninth-seeded Wildcats played their third game in as many days after opening the tournament Wednesday morning, a first for a program that last won this event in 2018.
Denzel Aberdeen led Kentucky with 17 points, reserve Mouhamed Dioubate scored 14 and Otega Oweh added 10.
During the Gators' streak, Kentucky was the only team to lose within single digits and did it twice, including in the regular-season finale at Rupp Arena.
Florida was up 16-6 quickly on a turnaround jumper by Condon with 14:13 left. Kentucky tied it up at 20. Boogie Fland then started a 13-point run with consecutive jumpers in a spurt that included a Micah Handlogten. Fland ended the run with a 3-pointer, and Florida took a 37-28 lead at halftime.
The Gators led by as much as 17 before missing 12 of 13 shots in the second.
Kentucky got within 66-61 on a 3-pointer by Aberdeen with 1:19 left. Lee hit a deep 3 from the top of the arc with 50.5 seconds remaining, then stole the ball from Aberdeen to preserve the win.
Florida takes another step toward defending its tournament championship.
How can I watch Kentucky vs. Florida?
Recent Plays
| 2nd 0:00 | End of Game | 63 - 71 |
| 2nd 0:00 | End of 2nd half | 63 - 71 |
| 2nd 0:00 | Denzel Aberdeen Offensive Rebound. | 63 - 71 |
| 2nd 0:01 | Denzel Aberdeen misses 24-foot three point jumper | 63 - 71 |
| 2nd 0:07 | Trent Noah Defensive Rebound. | 63 - 71 |
Statistics
 UK |
 FLA |
|
|---|---|---|
| 21-59 | FG | 22-58 |
| 36 | Field Goal % | 38 |
| 5-23 | 3PT | 3-20 |
| 22 | Three Point % | 15 |
| 16-20 | FT | 24-33 |
| 80 | Free Throw % | 73 |
| 29 | Rebounds | 50 |
| 8 | Offensive Rebounds | 18 |
| 21 | Defensive Rebounds | 32 |
| 9 | Assists | 11 |
| 9 | Steals | 9 |
| 4 | Blocks | 6 |
| 12 | Turnovers | 18 |
| 1 | Team Turnovers | 2 |
| 12 | Total Turnovers | 18 |
| 1 | Technical Fouls | 0 |
| 1 | Total Technical Fouls | 0 |
| 0 | Flagrant Fouls | 0 |
| 18 | Points Off Turnovers | 9 |
| 18 | Fast Break Points | 10 |
| 28 | Points in Paint | 30 |
| 24 | Fouls | 19 |
| 0 | Largest Lead | 17 |
| 0 | Lead Changes | 0 |
| 0 | Percent Led | 96 |
Game Information
Location: Nashville, TN
Capacity:
2025-26 Southeastern Conference Standings
| TEAM | CONF | GB | OVER |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida | 16-2 | - | 26-6 |
| Alabama | 13-5 | 3 | 23-8 |
| Arkansas | 13-5 | 3 | 23-8 |
| Vanderbilt | 11-7 | 5 | 24-7 |
| Tennessee | 11-7 | 5 | 22-10 |
| Texas A&M | 11-7 | 5 | 21-11 |
| Georgia | 10-8 | 6 | 22-10 |
| Missouri | 10-8 | 6 | 20-12 |
| Kentucky | 10-8 | 6 | 21-13 |
| Texas | 9-9 | 7 | 18-14 |
| Oklahoma | 7-11 | 9 | 19-14 |
| Auburn | 7-11 | 9 | 17-16 |
| Mississippi State | 5-13 | 11 | 13-19 |
| Ole Miss | 4-14 | 12 | 14-19 |
| South Carolina | 4-14 | 12 | 13-19 |
| LSU | 3-15 | 13 | 15-17 |