Florida prepares for hostile Rupp Arena one year removed from upsetting Kentucky in Lexington

John Calipari and the Kentucky Wildcats traveled down to Gainesville and upset the Florida Gators as 3.5-point underdogs to open SEC play in 2023-24. Todd Golden then brought his team back to Lexington and returned the favor with an upset win of their own as six-point underdogs inside Rupp Arena, splitting the season series 1-1.

There was a coaching change and a total roster rebuild for the Wildcats, but the mindset remains the same as a year ago for Golden. If his team ruins Big Blue Nation’s weekend, he’s done his job.

“This opportunity is incredibly exciting,” the UF head coach said. “It’s two top-10 teams going at it in the first game of league play.”

It’s his third trip to Rupp Arena since taking the Florida job, so he’ll admit the magic of walking through the doors of one of the most historic venues in all of sports has worn off ever so slightly. That doesn’t mean it won’t be a hostile environment capable of consuming road teams alive, but he at least knows what to expect this time around.

He’s expecting the fanbase’s best shot.

“It’s obviously a great place to be able to coach and be able to compete,” Golden said. “I don’t want to say the novelty wears off now with this being my third time coaching in there, but I would say it isn’t as exciting as the first time, if that makes sense. But for us to get this opportunity in what we anticipate to be a really raucous environment, I think it will be a great challenge for us.”

Florida has played one true road game this season, defeating Florida State 87-74 in Tallahassee. That came as 5.5-point favorites against the in-state competition with 9,797 announced as the official attendance. The Gators then traveled to Charlotte to take on North Carolina as 3.5-point underdogs in the team’s lone matchup vs. top-50 competition in the NET entering league play, winning that one 90-84.

Beyond that, the statement opportunities away from home have been few and far between — a Quad 2 win over Arizona State in the Holiday Hoopsgiving event is the team’s only other top-90 win. Needless to say, this is a big one for the Gators to prove they can beat teams with a pulse.

“We got a little bit of a taste of it in Charlotte (against the Tar Heels). It wasn’t on Carolina’s home floor, but it was pretty close to a dominating North Carolina crowd,” Golden said. “We weathered the storm in that game. I think this one will be even more challenging. I know our guys are excited to get out there and give it a shot.”

He’s not wrong, senior guard Will Richard — the team’s third-leading scorer at 14.2 points per contest — was on the Florida squad that came to Rupp Arena and stole that one in overtime. He finished with nine points, six rebounds and three assists in the win.

The 6-4 guard is looking to do the same on Saturday.

“It’s fun. It’s a great environment,” he said of Rupp Arena. “There’s a lot of history and tradition there. It’s fun to go to Rupp. … That’s top-level. Winning at Rupp is definitely big-time. Last year was special. Just climbing back, getting into the game, we were down, and then (Walter Clayton Jr.) hitting that big three to send us into overtime and then just winning in overtime. It was special.”

Time to break some Gator hearts, I suppose.