Kentucky had first place in the SEC within reach.
They had the momentum.
They had the fight.
They even had Florida on its heels early in the second half.
But the one thing BBN has been frustrated about all season? It showed up again — and this time, it cost them in the biggest moment yet.
The Same Early Problem
For weeks, Kentucky fans have voiced concerns about slow starts and defensive breakdowns to open games. And once again, the Wildcats dug themselves into a hole they had to spend the rest of the afternoon trying to escape.
Florida jumped out to a 10-2 lead before Kentucky could even settle in. Xaivian Lee came out firing from deep, knocking down three early triples and forcing Mark Pope to burn a timeout before the first TV break.
By the midpoint of the first half, it was 32-17.
Another early deficit. Another uphill climb.
The Fight Back
To Kentucky’s credit, they responded.
After falling behind by 15, the Wildcats went on a 10-0 run to cut the lead to five. Otega Oweh scored his 1,000th point as a Wildcat during that stretch, and for a moment, you could hear “Go Big Blue” echoing inside the O-Dome.
At halftime, Kentucky trailed just 43-34 — far from out of it.
Then came the push BBN had been waiting for.
A 7-0 burst to start the second half cut Florida’s lead to 43-41. The building got quiet. The momentum had flipped.
But just as quickly as Kentucky seized it, Florida ripped it right back.
The Adjustment That Never Came
This is where frustration boiled over.
As Florida began attacking the glass and exploiting mismatches, Kentucky stuck with the same rotations and defensive looks fans had been questioning. The Gators began controlling the boards in the second half — ultimately outrebounding UK significantly after an even first half.
With the game sitting at 65-58, Alex Condon and Urban Klavzar went on a personal 9-0 run that ballooned the lead to 74-58.
No major adjustment.
No shift in defensive approach.
And Florida made Kentucky pay.
Missed Opportunity
Collin Chandler tried to rescue it. The freshman shot 5-for-7 from three and finished with 18 points, hitting a clutch three to cut the deficit to five with 36.8 seconds left.
Denzel Aberdeen, returning to face his former team, led Kentucky with 19 points despite being booed every time he touched the ball. Malachi Moreno added a double-double (11 points, 11 rebounds).
But the damage had already been done.
Florida calmly closed it out 92-83.
The Bigger Picture
Kentucky drops to 17-8 overall and 8-4 in SEC play. A win would have given them the top spot in the conference.
Instead, Florida — now 19-6 and 10-2 in the SEC — continues its dominance.
The Wildcats were once again without Jayden Quaintance, Jaland Lowe (out for the season), and Kam Williams. The injuries matter. The depth matters.
But so do adjustments.
And in a game that swung on momentum and second-half execution, BBN will be talking just as much about decisions as they will about missed shots.
The good news? Kentucky gets another crack at Florida on March 7 in Rupp Arena.
The bad news?
The same issue fans were worried about just showed up on the biggest stage so far.
