KSR GAMEDAY: Kentucky hosts Florida in Top 10 showdown to open SEC play

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Kentucky Wildcat mascot poses at Rupp Arena - Dr. Michael Huang | Kentucky Sports Radio

Good morning, folks! It’s an early Gameday here in Lexington. When was the last time Kentucky played a basketball game before noon local time? I certainly can’t remember any. BigBlueHistory tells us it’s the earliest UK game in Rupp Arena history. But why not make Mark Pope‘s SEC debut as a head coach even more historic, right?

We’ve got a Top 10 showdown in store at Rupp Arena in just a few hours. The No. 10 Wildcats (11-2) will host the undefeated No. 6 Florida Gators (13-0) for an 11:00 a.m. EST tipoff on ESPN. It kicks off what will be an awesome slate of college basketball across the country throughout the day. There are 13 ranked matchups on the docket, but none feature a pair of Top 10 squads except for the one in the Bluegrass.

This matchup marks the first time in school history that Kentucky opens SEC play against a Top 10 opponent and just the fourth league opener with both teams ranked among the Top 25. Pope and Florida head coach Todd Golden have actually gone head-to-head several times over the years when they were coaching in the West Coast Conference. Pope leads the series 4-3.

The last time Kentucky hosted Florida at Rupp Arena, we saw Walter Clayton Jr. drill seven three-pointers en route to an overtime win. But none were bigger than his triple late in regulation that sent the game into an extra period and ultimately lifted the Gators past John Calipari‘s Wildcats. Florida will look similar to last season’s team while Kentucky is brand new from top to bottom. UK is a slight betting favorite (-3.5 per FanDuel) but KenPom gives an even smaller edge to UF (83-82 in favor of the Gators). We should be in for a terrific morning/early afternoon of hoops.

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“Kentucky, they play very well together,” Florida guard Will Richard said earlier this week. “They got a great group of guys that play well together. They feed off each other. For us it’s just being disciplined, going out there and executing our game plan, and just making sure we keep them out of rhythm.”

Florida and Kentucky play similarly as teams that want to push the pace and chuck up plenty of three-pointers. Florida is an elite rebounding team with one of the nation’s best backcourt. Their defense is sound all around. Lamont Butler and Otega Oweh will have their work cut out for them on defense. Kentucky should have the skill advantage in the frontcourt though. This will be the Gators’ first true road test of the season. It truly feels like a toss-up that could come down to the final few possessions. Rupp Arena should be bonkers and fueled by multiple cups of coffee.

While you wait for tipoff in a few hours, stay up to date on all of our pregame coverage (and there’s plenty of it) from this week.

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Saturday’s Top 25 CBB games

TIME (EST)/TV	MATCHUP
11:00 AM \| ESPN	No. 6 Florida @ No. 10 Kentucky
12:00 PM \| SEC Network	Georgia @ No. 24 Ole Miss
1:00 PM \| ESPN	No. 23 Arkansas @ No. 1 Tennessee
2:00 PM \| CBS	No. 25 Baylor @ No. 3 Iowa State
2:00 PM \| ESPN+	BYU @ No. 14 Houston
2:00 PM \| FOX	No. 15 UCLA @ Nebraska
2:00 PM \| SEC Network	South Carolina @ No. 17 Mississippi State
2:15 PM \| The CW Network	No. 4 Duke @ SMU
2:30 PM \| ESPN2	Arizona @ No. 16 Cincinnati
4:00 PM \| SEC Network	Missouri @ No. 2 Auburn
6:00 PM \| SEC Network	No. 12 Oklahoma @ No. 5 Alabama
8:00 PM \| SEC Network	Texas @ No. 13 Texas A&M
9:00 PM \| ESPN+	No. 19 Gonzaga @ Loyola Marymount