{"id":181765,"date":"2026-03-07T06:01:14","date_gmt":"2026-03-07T06:01:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/181765\/"},"modified":"2026-03-07T06:01:14","modified_gmt":"2026-03-07T06:01:14","slug":"kentucky-vs-florida-in-the-2026-season-finale","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/181765\/","title":{"rendered":"Kentucky vs. Florida in the 2026 Season Finale"},"content":{"rendered":"

March has arrived, and so has the final game of the 2025-26 regular season. It\u2019s Senior Day at Rupp Arena, where Kentucky fans will watch Otega Oweh<\/a> in action for the final time, as the Preseason SEC Player of the Year leads the Cats against the SEC Champion Florida Gators. The last time Todd Golden<\/a> took a team to Rupp, it produced a thriller with 206 combined points in a Kentucky win. Can the Wildcats end the regular season with an exclamation point? The KSR crew weighs in\u2026<\/p>\n

Nick Roush<\/p>\n

Is it weird to think that Florida might actually not be a bad matchup for Kentucky? I know the Gators are playing murderball at the moment, but if there\u2019s one thing they can\u2019t figure out consistently, it\u2019s shooting from behind the three-point line. That\u2019s been Kentucky\u2019s Achilles heel in ugly losses, going -15 and -12 at A&M and Vandy. <\/p>\n

The last time we saw the Cats lace \u2019em up at Rupp, they hit 11 threes and shot 59% from the field. It will take another incredible shooting performance to knock off Florida. While I think there will be quite a few shots that make this one interesting, the Gators\u2019 size can impose their will on the Cats down the stretch, which will ultimately be the difference-maker. <\/p>\n

Score: Florida 83, Kentucky 80 <\/p>\n

Drew Franklin<\/p>\n

I\u2019m doing it. I am believing in this team one more time before the postseason, and you can\u2019t talk me out of it. Give me the Cats in the home finale, Senior Day for Otega Oweh, Denzel Aberdeen, Walker Horn, and Zach Tow. I predict Kentucky has one more run of Saturday Rupp Arena magic, like last Saturday versus Vanderbilt and the Tennessee denim game before that.<\/p>\n

Remember, Kentucky played Florida even in the second half in Gainesville. It was the hot shooting in the beginning that made the difference. Just cut that crap out, fight for your life on the glass, and lean on Big Blue Nation to power through in the end to beat the Gators in Lexington. Mark Pope is 1-0 versus Todd Golden in this spot. If you\u2019re scared, stay home. Go Cats.<\/p>\n

Score: Kentucky 86, Florida 85<\/p>\n

Tyler Thompson<\/p>\n

This is the part where Kentucky rebounds from a bad loss with a huge win, right? For the most part, that\u2019s how this season has gone. Last Saturday, the Cats played their best basketball of the season vs. Vanderbilt, only to put up a clunker in College Station. Hopefully, that means we\u2019ve got a big rebound coming, Kentucky eager to shake off the loss to the Aggies and get revenge against the No. 5 Gators on Senior Day. Wouldn\u2019t that be the shot in the arm we all need going into the postseason?<\/p>\n

The problem? Florida looks scary good right now, averaging 109.5 points in its last two wins. Kentucky played well in the first matchup in Gainesville, but the Gators seem like they\u2019re playing on an even higher level right now. Even though they\u2019ve clinched the SEC regular-season title, this doesn\u2019t feel like a group that would loaf through a game. If they\u2019re firing on all cylinders, Kentucky may simply not be able to keep up.<\/p>\n

I do think it will be close. Kentucky had a good game plan vs. Florida last month, holding its own against the Gators\u2019 formidable frontcourt; however, the backcourt was the difference, Xaivian Lee and Urban Klavzar playing out of their minds, combining for 9 threes and 41 points. I don\u2019t see that happening Saturday in Rupp. The three-headed GOAT of Otega Oweh, Denzel Aberdeen, and Collin Chandler will do all they can to keep Kentucky within striking distance, but in the end, the Gators\u2019 frontcourt will be too much. I\u2019d love to be wrong.<\/p>\n

Score: Florida 85, Kentucky 81<\/p>\n

Zack Geoghegan<\/p>\n

This version of Florida is the best team Kentucky has faced all season. The Gators\u2019 10-game winning streak by an average of 23.2 points per game has made them title contenders. Six players are averaging double-figures during that span. Their defense and team rebounding have been just as elite as their offense. Thomas Haugh is still a top candidate for SEC Player of the Year, while Rueben Chinyelu is a candidate for Defensive Player of the Year. Boogie Fland and Xaivian Lee still aren\u2019t shooting lights out from deep, but they\u2019re both over 63 percent on two-pointers during the winning streak. <\/p>\n

But we can also acknowledge that Florida hasn\u2019t faced a top 20 team along the way. They\u2019ve been destroying good, but not great teams. Don\u2019t get me wrong, that\u2019s still scary, but Kentucky played them well enough on the road the last time out that I can talk myself into this being a close contest. UK also has far more to play for. Florida has locked up the top seed in the SEC. Kentucky needs a win to avoid a Wednesday start. The Senior Day vibes will have Rupp rocking. <\/p>\n

Kentucky has found ways to get up for games like this a handful of times throughout the season. I think they will again on Saturday. But Florida is playing like a juggernaut right now, and UK isn\u2019t a top 20 team. The Gators pull away late to sneak out with a win. <\/p>\n

Score: Florida 92, Kentucky 88 <\/p>\n

Jacob Polacheck<\/p>\n

Florida was already one of the best teams in the country the last time Kentucky faced them, and they haven\u2019t missed a beat since. Florida is the No. 5 team in the nation, riding a 10-game winning streak heading into Saturday\u2019s game. Kentucky, despite losing to the Gators by nine the last time these teams faced, had some good moments in Gainesville. <\/p>\n

Every time I find myself believing in this Kentucky team, they find ways to disappoint. I made the mistake of picking them against Texas A&M before a pretty ugly loss to the Aggies. I\u2019m not doing it again. My pick for game MVP is Rueben Chinyelu<\/a> of Florida, and while I expect Kentucky to keep it close on its home court, the Gators are my pick. <\/p>\n

Score: Florida 89, Kentucky 85<\/p>\n

Jack Pilgrim<\/p>\n

Last year\u2019s SEC opener at Rupp Arena was an instant classic, a 106-100 win for Kentucky before Florida\u2019s national championship run. I expect a similar environment with so much on the line for the Wildcats on Senior Day for Otega Oweh and Denzel Aberdeen with eyes on a single or double bye in Nashville. The Gators were just too much to handle in the first Valentine\u2019s Day meeting down in Gainesville, but needed 43 combined points and nine made 3-pointers between Xaivian Lee and Urban Klavzar \u2014 21 points more than their season average. Can the team that averages just 7.6 threes per game (No. 203 nationally) fall back to earth after hitting 10 in round one? How does Malachi Moreno respond after mostly neutralizing Rueben Chinyelu in that first battle \u2014 can he do it again? Does superstar forward Thomas Haugh play at all after missing his last outing with an ankle injury? Todd Golden\u2019s group already has the SEC regular season crown and No. 1 seed locked up, so that\u2019s something to monitor, too, after winning their last two games by a combined 68 points.<\/p>\n

Point being, we\u2019ve seen this Kentucky team rise to the occasion with its back against the wall. Mark Pope is known to pull a rabbit out of his hat every so often, and now is the perfect opportunity. Win the game, end Florida\u2019s hot streak, avoid Wednesday in Nashville, send Oweh and Aberdeen out with a bang.<\/p>\n

I think they find a way to get it done, against all odds. Aberdeen is game MVP against his old team.<\/p>\n

Score: Kentucky 84, Florida 81<\/p>\n

Adam Luckett<\/p>\n

Florida continues to roll and dominate. Kentucky played about as bad as you could play for the middle 20 minutes against Texas A&M. There\u2019s no way the Cats could bounce-back and pull off a big home upset. Think again.<\/p>\n

Florida star Thomas Haugh missed the midweek game against Mississippi State. His status will be worth monitoring this weekend. Meanwhile, UK strangely matched up well with the Gators in this season\u2019s previous meeting. That was with the Gators pouring in 10 threes and shooting 32 free throws. Getting to both of those numbers again at Rupp Arena feels highly unlikely.<\/p>\n

Kentucky has shot it well from three in recent home games, held their own against teams that dominate the glass (Florida, Tennessee, Auburn) in SEC play, and owns the two-point defense (top-100 nationally, No. 4 in the SEC) to give the Gators some problems at the rim. <\/p>\n

Kentucky needs to win the three-point battle by 10-plus points. There is a path to getting there. Both teams will play with pace and Kentucky will be comfortable with the tempo. That will equal some open shots. Kentucky hits enough, Florida throws up some bricks from three, and the rim defense gives the Cats a chance to win the game in the final segment.<\/p>\n

This team wins it in the final segment because that is just what they do. The roller coaster season continues. Kentucky clinches the No. 4 seed in the SEC Tournament after Arkansas beats Missouri and Vanderbilt beats Tennessee. The Nashville party starts on Friday afternoon.<\/p>\n

Score: Kentucky 83, Florida 77<\/p>\n

Parlour Pizza<\/p>\n

Make PARLOUR your game day destination! From the fan-favorite Hot Honey Pepperoni pizza to the house-smoked wings, as well as an extensive craft beer selection, PARLOUR has a menu that will please the whole family! On game days, make sure to head to their location on Harrodsburg Rd., just a short drive from Rupp Arena. Check out their full menu at\u00a0EatParlour.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Kentucky vs. Florida: How to Watch, Listen<\/p>\n

Tipoff: Saturday, 4:00 p.m. ET<\/p>\n

TV: ESPN (Tom Hart, Jimmy Dykes, Dick Vitale)<\/p>\n

Local Radio: UK Sports Network (Tom Leach, Goose Givens)<\/p>\n

AM: 840 WHAS, 630 WLAP<\/p>\n

FM: 98.1 WBUL<\/p>\n

Online:\u00a0iHeart Radio<\/a><\/p>\n

Sirius XM: 84<\/p>\n

You can also follow along on the KSR LIVE BLOG, which will start a few hours before tipoff, and join the conversation on\u00a0KSBoard<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Lock in for the 2025 Kentucky Basketball season with KSR Plus! We\u2019re giving you behind-the-scenes intel you won\u2019t find anywhere else. Join the most passionate online community in the BBN during Mark Pope\u2019s second season.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"March has arrived, and so has the final game of the 2025-26 regular season. It\u2019s Senior Day at…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":181766,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[28,30,29],"class_list":["post-181765","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-florida","tag-florida","tag-florida-headlines","tag-florida-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/181765","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=181765"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/181765\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/181766"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=181765"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=181765"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=181765"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}