The Cats and Gators are set to tip off shortly. Kentucky is coming off a narrow escape of Missouri to "earn" its way to another game with Florida, and now the Cats are hoping to avoid a dark piece of program history.
Florida has only ever defeated Kentucky three times in a single season once: 2014. To avoid a repeat of that "Triple Crown" sweep, Kentucky has to navigate a Florida roster that has become one of the most balanced scoring threats in the entire country.
The Gator Gauntlet
If you look at Florida's last month of games, the Gators are incredibly balanced. Between Thomas Haugh (15 PPG), Alex Condon (19 PPG), and Boogie Fland (12 PPG), any one of those guys can take over a game.
But then you have Xaivian Lee (13 pts), Urban Klavzar (10 pts), and Rueben Chinyelu (9 pts) waiting to step in behind them.
So, how do you attack that? First, you take away the easy ones. Kentucky must wall up defensively at the rim and force Florida's post shots out to the midrange. The Gators are not an elite shooting team, with one dangerous exception.
Choking out the shooters' space
Urban Klavzar destroyed Kentucky in Gainesville with 19 points on five triples. The Cats adjusted in Lexington, holding him to just three points. That defensive intensity must continue today. Kentucky needs to choke Florida's best outside shooters out of the game plan.
If Florida is going to beat you with the long ball, force Condon or Haugh to be the ones to do it. But no clean looks for Klavzar, Fland, or Xaivian Lee.
The fatigue factor
Expect Florida to pressure Kentucky relentlessly right from the jump. The Cats have played two high-intensity games in 48 hours, and Florida will look to exploit that fatigue by crashing the glass and pushing the pace.
Kentucky's transition defense must be elite. The Cats only had nine turnovers in Lexington; they need to keep that number low again to force Florida to play in the half-court.
If it turns into a track meet, the Cats will be in trouble. Mark Pope has to be on point with his timeouts and his substitution patterns today.
No bad or quick shots
Lately, Denzel Aberdeen has been a little too trigger-happy when the tide turns. For example, in the LSU game, Kentucky's lead had dwindled, and they needed a good possession. Instead, it was Aberdeen bringing the ball up and shooting a quick and deep 3. If Kentucky plays with the "fearlessness" Mark Pope has preached, they can not only beat this Florida team, they can win the whole tournament.
If they can't stay disciplined, though, Florida will secure only the second 3-game season sweep in the history of this rivalry.
Prediction: Kentucky 74, Florida 70
Game information
Tip: 12:30 PM ET (Friday, March 13th)
Location: Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, TN
Channel: ESPN
Announcers: Karl Ravech, Jimmy Dykes, Alyssa Lang
FanDuel odds: Kentucky +10.5 | Over/Under: 159.5
Streaming: Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, FuboTV, Sling TV (Blue & Orange Plan)
Radio options:Online: Stream live at UKAthletics.com or on iHeartRadio via WLAP 630.
Local FM/AM Stations:
Lexington: 98.1 FM / 630 WLAP
Louisville: 840 AM WHAS
London: 103.9 FM WWEL
Hazard/Pikeville: 101.1 WSGS
Madisonville: 93.9 FM WKTG