At the beginning of the season, it looked like Florida basketball may have been dealing with a bit of national championship hangover. The Gators took their lumps in non-conference play, but they are now playing their best basketball at the right time and have rolled through the SEC in the regular season.
Todd Golden and company finished off that slate on Saturday with a comfortable 84-77 win over Kentucky in a game that the Gators were never in much danger of giving away. With that win, Florida improved to 16-2 in the regular season in conference play, winning the conference title by three full games. The Gators are also in a pole position to be a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament after UConn's loss to Marquette.
Kentucky is led by guard Denzel Aberdeen, who was a key bench piece for Florida during its title run last season. After Saturday's game, Golden took a little dig at his former player after soundly beating Kentucky, via Tristan Pharis of KY Insider.
“We know Zel pretty well,” Golden said. “We know what he likes to do. Not super efficient today.”
Aberdeen scored 15 points in the loss, but he finished just 4-for-13 from the field and shot 1-for-6 from the 3-point line. His Kentucky team was playing from behind for almost the entire game, and it could never get over the hump to give the red-hot Gators a real scare. All five Florida starters scored in double figures, led by Thomas Haugh with 20.
Florida will feel great heading into the SEC Tournament as the top seed with a double-bye. Golden's squad has won 11 games in a row and is among the hottest teams in college basketball.
There are a number of worthy contenders that will be in Nashville for the conference tournament next week, including Alabama and Arkansas. Florida still enters as a heavy favorite, and the Gators will become a trendy pick to repeat as national champions if they can lift the trophy in a week's time.
