Kentucky Men’s Basketball Game at Florida Set for 5 p.m. Tip

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The Kentucky men’s basketball game at Florida on Saturday, originally announced with a flex time, has been set for a 5 p.m. tipoff on ESPN.
 
Florida, as one of UK’s three permanent home-and-away opponents, will make the return trip to Rupp Arena on Feb. 27.
 
The Wildcats are 104-40 all-time vs. the Gators and 37-26 in Gainesville, Florida. UK has won four straight games in the series, including last season’s memorable 17-point second-half comeback. It would end up being the final game of the 2019-20 season because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
UK is coming off a more modest comeback. On Saturday, with an unforgettable 23-point breakout performance from redshirt freshman guard Dontaie Allen, the Wildcats rallied from a nine-point hole to win 78-73 at Mississippi State in double overtime.
 
The victory ended a six-game losing streak, tied for the second longest in school history, and got the Wildcats off to a 1-0 start in Southeastern Conference play. UK improved to 10-2 in SEC openers under head coach John Calipari, who coached in his 1,000th career game as a college head coach on Saturday. Only two coaches, Adolph Rupp and Roy Williams, have more wins through their first 1,000 games.
 
Kentucky returns to action on Tuesday at 7 p.m. vs. Vanderbilt. It will be UK’s first home game in 24 days. The game will be televised by SEC Network.
 
The Wildcats have lost two straight games in Rupp Arena for the first time in the Calipari era. Kentucky has never lost three straight games in Rupp Arena’s 45-season existence.
 
UK’s updated 2020-21 slate can be found here.
 
For the latest on the Kentucky men’s basketball team, follow @KentuckyMBB on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, and on the web at UKathletics.com.