Florida vs. Kentucky score, takeaways: No. 6 Gators drop first game of season to No. 10 Wildcats

Basketball

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Image Credit: UAA

The SEC schedule is going to be an absolute gauntlet this season, and the No. 6 Florida Gators got an immediate taste of that reality Saturday afternoon when they opened league play on the road against the No. 10 Kentucky Wildcats in Rupp Arena. Despite holding a double-digit lead in the second half, Florida saw that dissipate before battling down the stretch to fall 106-100.

The loss is the Gators’ first of the 2024-25 season, dropping it to 13-1 (0-1 SEC) on the campaign and ending the second-best start in program history. While the Wildcats were its most talented opponent to date, Florida looked dominant in nonconference play winning 12 of 13 games by double digits.

Head coach Todd Golden fell to 1-4 against Kentucky, and UF again failed to win consecutive games in Rupp Arena, which it has accomplished only twice in program history. There will not even be an opportunity for the Gators to gain a measure of revenge for Saturday’s defeat as the SEC decided not to make this rivalry a home-and-home series for the first time in 60 years.

Let’s take a look at what went down starting Saturday morning (for some reason) in Lexington, Kentucky, with some Fastbreak Takeaways.

It was over when … Kentucky’s Andrew Carr drained a wide-open 3-pointer as his second straight basket after Florida sophomore center Alex Condon twice left points at the free throw line in between. UK took an eight-point lead with 1:25 to play and never looked back, making 7 of 8 gimmies over the final 51 seconds to pull off the win.

The Gators opened the second half with consecutive 3-pointers and later used a 9-2 run to reduce their deficit to one with 13:27 to play. Redshirt senior guard Alijah Martin was responsible for nine of UF’s 11 points during a key scoring stretch, though a lull soon cost the visitors. Just as it did in the first half, Florida came apart at the seams at the midway point of the second half allowing a 10-0 run through turnovers, wasted possessions and undisciplined defense.

The Gators answered with a 7-0 run led by five straight points from senior point guard Walter Clayton Jr. cutting their margin to two with 4:16 to play; however, it never got closer than that down the stretch. Playing a huge role in the ‘Cats victory was Koby Brea, who drained a career-high seven triples (leading UK to hit 48.3% of its treys) to post a career- and team-high 23 points. He was the lone player to give UF consistent problems, time and again hitting big-time shots to lengthen scoring stretches for the hosts.

First half focus: Florida jumped ahead 26-15 midway through the period as Clayton and sophomore forward Thomas Haugh knocked down huge 3-pointers to answer a Kentucky scoring spurt. The Wildcats responded with a 16-0 run as the Gators missed a trio of wide-open triples as part of an 0-for-6 stretch, more than erasing that 11-point in only 3:34. Just as Florida fought back to tie the game late in the period, Kentucky erupted on a 12-2 run to end the half aided by multiple turnovers and missed free throws. UF saw an 11-point lead become a 10-point halftime deficit in the final 10:53 of the opening frame, all of it coming from bad basketball: sloppy play (15-0 UK advantage in points off turnovers), poor shot selection and defensive struggles.

Exceptional efforts: Clayton scored a career-high-tying 33 points on 9 of 15 shooting, draining 6 of 12 attempts from 3-point land, though he went 9 of 13 from the free-throw line missing consecutive gimmies late. He was particularly dominant with 23 points in the second half; however, four first-half turnovers (five overall) were critical to Kentucky getting back in the game.

Martin struggled in the opening period but came alive after the break scoring 20 of his 26 points in the second half. Condon got close to a double double with nine points and 10 boards, but he and Martin combined to go 6 of 15 from the charity stripe, which severely cost the Gators in a close game. Not to be overlooked is sophomore C Rueben Chinyelu, who was excellent in all phases hitting 4 of 4 shots and 2 of 2 free throws for 10 points with eight rebounds, three assists and two massive blocks.

Odds & ends: Florida fell to 42-111 all-time against Kentucky with a 12-56 record in Rupp Arena; however, the Gators are 18-27 against the Wildcats since 2005 (5-14 in Rupp) … UK has won 11 of the last 13 meetings since 2019 … UF again failed to win consecutive games against its top rival in Rupp Arena, still doing so just twice in program history (1988-89, 2006-07) … this season marks the first time in 60 years that the Florida-Kentucky rivalry is not a home-and-home series (1964) … the Gators under Golden fell to 9-18 when trailing at halftime, 2-24 when trailing with 5 minutes left, 6-24 when being outshot by an opponent and 11-22 when being outshot by an opponent from 3-point range … UF took a rare loss when outrebounding an opponent (37-8), shooting 45% or better from the field (36-7) and taking more free throw attempts (33-13)

What it means: Florida faced its best opponent of the season, fought until the end and nearly won a tough game on the road. Ultimately, though, a loss is a loss, and this one was easily explainable. Six first-half Gators turnovers resulted in 15 points that got the Wildcats back in the game. UK used a 20-4 scoring margin in that category to more than make up for UF’s 31 second-chance points on the back of 15 offensive rebounds. Kentucky also cut into the paint with ease building a 44-38 scoring margin inside, and it moved the ball regularly compiling 25 assists on 37 baskets (67.6%) while draining 75% of its free throws compared to just 63% for Florida.

Despite those massive margins working against them, the Gators were able to lean on Clayton and Martin to make big-time shots in the second half. Playing as it did Saturday would lead to Florida winning most games; Kentucky was particularly well-matched as an opponent given its length inside and the ability of Brea and Carr to make critical shots in key situations. UF was not going to go through the season undefeated, and it may suffer a string of losses against tough competition given the difficulties of league play, but this is certainly a game it was capable of winning.

It’s a shame that the SEC decided this rivalry should not be a guaranteed home-and-home affair annually because Florida would certainly love to get another shot at this Kentucky team in the Stephen C. O’Connell Center.

What’s next? The SEC gauntlet continues for the Gators, though it also presents a massive rebound opportunity as Florida will host No. 1 Tennessee on Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET in a game that will air live nationally on ESPN2. UF has won each of the last two meetings in Gainesville, Florida, its only two wins as part of a 2-8 overall record against UT since 2018.