Kentucky-Florida Postgame Notes

KENTUCKY MEN’S BASKETBALL POSTGAME NOTES

SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT
BRIDGESTONE ARENA | NASHVILLE, TN
MARCH 13, 2026
ATTENDANCE: will be announced at end of session

Final Score: No. 4 Florida 71, Kentucky 63

Team Records and Series Notes

Kentucky is 21-13 overall.
Florida has won 12 in a row with an average margin of 20.6 points during that streak. The Gators are 26-6 overall.
- Florida’s three closest wins during their 12-game win streak have all been against Kentucky
Kentucky leads the series 111-45, including 13-5 in the SEC Tournament.
Next for Kentucky: The Wildcats return to Lexington to await the NCAA Selection Show on Sunday.

Kentucky in the SEC Tournament

Kentucky has an all-time record of 138-32 in the SEC Tournament.
UK is 24-8 in SECT games played in Nashville, including 21-8 in the current arena.
UK has won 31 championships, with Alabama second with eight titles.

Team Notes

Kentucky limited Florida to 11 assists. Kentucky had been 14-0 this season when the opponent had 12 or fewer.
Kentucky limited Florida to 37.9 percent from the field (22 of 58). Kentucky had been 10-0 this season when keeping the opponent under 40 percent.
Kentucky limited Florida to 15 percent from 3-point range (3 of 15). Kentucky had been 9-0 this season when keeping the opponent to 25 percent or less.
Florida committed 18 turnovers, most by a Kentucky SEC opponent this season.
Kentucky is now 5-11 this season when trailing at halftime.

Player Notes

Denzel Aberdeen led the Wildcats with 17 points, five rebounds and three assists.
- This was his 25^th double-figure game of the season and 16^th in the last 19 games.
- Replacing the injured Jaland Lowe as the starting point guard, he has warmed to the task as the season progressed. Over the last nine games, he has 41 assists and only seven turnovers.
Mouhamed Dioubate had 14 points and three rebounds.
- He has averaged 11.3 points over the last seven games.
Otega Oweh had 10 points and tied for the team lead in rebounds with five.
- He has hit double figures in 33 of 34 games this season.
- His 598 points are second-most for any Wildcat transfer in a single season.
- He also had two steals today, his 20^th game this season with multiple thefts.
Kentucky is currently missing Jayden Quaintance and Jaland Lowe because of injury. Lowe is out for the season.
- During his two years at UK, Coach Mark Pope has played only five of 55 games against high-major opponents (9.1 percent) with a full roster.

In the First Half

Kentucky started the combination of Denzel Aberdeen, Collin Chandler, Otega Oweh, Andrija Jelavic and Malachi Moreno for the 15^th consecutive game.
Florida jumped out to an 8-2 lead, prompting a Kentucky timeout and UK’s first substitutes, Mo Dioubate and Brandon Garrison at 16:54.
Trailing 20-18, an 8-0 Kentucky run – featuring a pair of 3-pointers by Dioubate – led to a Florida timeout at the 10:40 mark.
After the timeout, UK lengthened the lead to 10-0 and tied the game at 20.
Florida countered with a 13-0 spurt as the Wildcats went scoreless for seven minutes.
Florida took a 37-28 lead into halftime.
- Dioubate led all scorers in the first half with 12 points.

In the Second Half

Kentucky began the second half with the starters.
Florida lengthened the lead to 17 points at 49-32 with 13:07 remaining. Florida went without a field goal for almost nine minutes but made 11 foul shots during that time to keep the Wildcats at bay.
Kentucky pulled within 66-61 with 1:20 left but got no closer.

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