Great Florida Basketball Villains of the Past
There was a time from the early 2000s to the mid-2010s when Kentucky vs. Florida was the best rivalry in the SEC. Billy Donovan built the Gators into a powerhouse, winning back-to-back national championships in 2006 and 2007 and seven straight vs. the Cats from 2005-2008. Donovan, a former assistant at Kentucky under Rick Pitino, was so good that UK tried to lure him back to Lexington not once but twice, getting turned down both times — despite widespread rumors of a “done deal” and horse farm purchases.
When Donovan left Florida for the NBA in 2015, some of the magic of the series went with him. Kentucky is 12-4 against Florida since Donovan left and has won nine of the last ten. Saturday’s game in Gainesville could inject some juice back into the series. Florida is 10-3 in its second season under Todd Golden and the Gators are calling for an Orange Out in a sold-out Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center. Some analytics models even predict the Gators will upset the No. 6 Wildcats, which would be Florida’s first win in the series since Feb. 2021.
As we count down to tipoff, let’s look back at the series, specifically, the villains it has produced. I’ll start with the one that first made me hate the Gators back in the day.
Teddy Dupay
Years at Florida: 3 (1998-2001)
Record vs. Kentucky: 3-3 (12.3 PPG)
The 5’11” guard was a thorn in Kentucky’s side during his time in Gainesville. As a sophomore, he scored 14 points in the No. 12 Gators’ win over the No. 11 Cats. The next year, he put up a career-high 28 to lead No. 6 Florida to a 15-point win over No. 15 Kentucky to clinch the SEC regular season title. Although small in stature, Dupay was pesky and tough, the kind of player you absolutely hated if he wasn’t on your team.
Dupay was dismissed from Florida his senior year for betting on sports and traveled a long, hard road for a while, but seems to have turned things around, opening the Teddy Dupay Basketball Academy in Tampa Bay.
Matt Walsh
Years at Florida: 3 (2002-2005)
Record vs. Kentucky: 2-6 (15.25 PPG)
One year later, we got another great Gator villain in the form of 6’6″ 205 lbs. wing Matt Wash. Walsh only got two wins vs. Kentucky but scored in double figures in seven of those eight games. He had 26 to lead the Gators to the 2005 SEC Tournament Championship in the Georgia Dome, Florida’s second win over the Cats in a week after not being them for three years.
How much did Kentucky fans hate Matt Walsh (and his hair)? The student section had a special chant just for him that would never see the light of day in 2024.
Joakim Noah
Years at Florida: 3 (2004-07)
Record vs. Kentucky: 5-1 (11.3 PPG)
For most, the list starts and stops here. Joakim Noah is the perfect villain. From his hair to his goofy facial expressions and chest pounds, he was so easy to hate. The hardest part? He was also really good. The 2006 and 2007 Florida squads had a lot of stars but Noah’s was the face you remember because how could you forget it?
Noah scored in double figures three times vs. the Cats, putting up 26 in a 15-point Kentucky loss in 2006. A year later at Rupp, after falling to the floor after a foul, he shoved a pompom back at a cheerleader after she waved it in his face, creating an early internet firestorm. In his final game vs. Kentucky a month later, he scored 17 points to lead the Gators to their sixth straight win over the Cats.
Give Noah credit for one thing: he hates Kentucky just as much as Kentucky fans hate him. While watching ESPN’s All-Access documentary on Kentucky in 2012 (a choice he made when he could easily turn the channel), he tweeted this to his followers:
Corey Brewer
Years at Florida: 3 (2004-07)
Record vs. Kentucky: 6-1 (9.0 PPG)
Al Horford and Corey Brewer were other members of the Florida dynasty. For some reason, I have no ill will toward Horford. Brewer? Different story. He scored 16 against Kentucky twice, in wins in 2006 and 2007, but it was the facial expressions that drove me up a wall. Brewer also did the Gator chomp to the crowd during the Big Blue All-Stars vs. Villains exhibition game in 2011, drawing a hearty boo:
Nick Calathes
Years at Florida: 2 (2008-2009)
Record vs. Kentucky: 2-2 (19.5 PPG)
Nick Calathes looked like a mini Billy Donovan racing up and down the court during his time in Gainesville; thankfully, he didn’t have his coach’s poise. Calathes had a chance to send Kentucky vs. Florida to overtime in February 2009 at Rupp Arena, heading to the line after being fouled on a three-point attempt by Kevin Galloway. With the Rupp crowd roaring, Calathes missed all three free throws and Kentucky won the game 68-65. Calathes finished with a career-high 33 points, but the three he missed will count the most in our memories.
Chandler Parsons
Years at Florida: 4 (2007-2011)
Record vs. Kentucky: 3-6 (7.9 PPG)
What is it about Florida villains and their hair? Chandler Parsons won three of his nine games against Kentucky, but none during the 2009-10 season when John Wall was a Wildcat. When Wall and Parsons were on the Houston Rockets together, Wall reminded him of that regularly during workouts. Parsons averaged 13.7 PPG as a senior vs. Kentucky, leading the Gators to a 74-66 upset over the No. 2 Cats in the Swamp.
Scottie Wilbekin
Years at Florida: 4 (2010-2014)
Record vs. Kentucky: 5-6 (8.2 PPG)
Scottie Wilbekin may have the most games against Kentucky, facing the Cats 11 times, going 4-1 against the Cats as a starter. Two of those wins really sting. Wilbekin had a game-high 14 points and 8 assists in the game in which Nerlens Noel tore his ACL in February 2013. A year later, he scored 23 points, including five crucial free throws down the stretch, in No. 3 Florida’s win over No. 14 Kentucky at Rupp, the first of three Gator victories over the Cats that season. He also beat out Julius Randle for SEC Player of the Year.
There are bigger Florida villains than Wilbekin, but we did not like him.
Colin Castleton
Years at Florida: 3 (2020-23)
Record vs. Kentucky: 1-4 (17.2 PPG)
Colin Castleton spent the first two years of his career at Michigan, but much more fits the mold of a Florida villain, with his big frame and spiky hair. He scored in double figures in four of his five games against Kentucky, giving Oscar Tshiebwe fits. Due to a hand injury, Castleton had to miss last year’s game in Gainesville, his final shot at the Cats before turning pro. He’s not nearly as hateable as others on this list, but I do remember being frustrated by how well he played vs. Oscar. Plus, I felt the need to include at least one player from the post-Billy Donovan era.
Florida fan who tried to hook and hold Cason Wallace
Years at Florida: Unknown (Present in 2023)
Record vs. Kentucky: 0-1
We didn’t get a final Castleton vs. Oscar showdown last season, but we were able to hate on some Florida fans who tried to take down Cason Wallace. While chasing down a loose ball, Wallace fell into some fans sitting courtside and one of them didn’t want to let go, wrapping his arm around Cason’s neck. All three fans were thrown out of the game, many in the pro-Florida crowd applauding the decision.
Hopefully, we won’t see him again on Saturday.
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