A look back at the last time Florida came to Rupp Arena...

Kentucky and Florida have gone head-to-head on the hardwood 152 times throughout history, dating all the way back to the 1920s. Game No. 153 is set for Saturday morning. The Wildcats have dominated this series, winning 110 of those matchups which included a 16-game win streak from 1942-64. Only 12 times have the Gators come to Lexington and left with a win, 10 of them happening inside Rupp Arena, which was opened in 1976.

But we’re only less than a year removed from witnessing one of those 10 victories. Florida came into Rupp on Jan. 31, 2024, and beat John Calipari‘s final UK team in overtime. It’s one Kentucky fans would like to forget (sorry for bringing it up again), but there’s no denying it was an absolute thriller of a matchup — even if Kentucky coughed up the win down the stretch.

At the time, Kentucky was ranked No. 10 (the same ranking this season’s team will take into Saturday’s game) while Florida was unranked. The Wildcats had already taken down UF in Gainesville earlier that month. DJ Wagner and Justin Edwards were injured and did not play in the rematch, leaving the ‘Cats a bit short-handed.

After taking a five-point lead into the halftime break, Kentucky was up by four with under 30 seconds in regulation. Florida connected on a layup with 15 seconds left to make it a two-point game. Rob Dillingham then went 1-2 at the free throw line, leaving it at a one-possession game. Some defensive miscommunication from the ‘Cats left Walter Clayton Jr. open for a clean look from deep. He drilled the three-pointer to tie the game (which sparked a “should you foul up three?” debate) with three seconds on the clock. Kentucky went on to lose in overtime 94-91.

It was a rather heartbreaking loss for the Wildcats, right in the middle of a six-game SEC stretch that saw UK go 2-4. Reed Sheppard, Antonio Reeves, and Dillingham were awesome though. The same goes for Ugonna Onyenso, who damn near posted a triple-double. But no other Wildcat scored more than seven points. Those four and Tre Mitchell played nearly the entire game. There was little bench depth to aid UK’s stars as the legs wore down in the extra period.

• Sheppard (45 mins): 24 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 blocks, 1 steal | 10-18 FG, 3-7 3PT
• Dillingham (39 mins): 20 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 block | 8-17 FG, 3-8 3PT
• Reeves (37 mins): 19 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal | 7-15 FG, 3-5 3PT
• Onyenso (34 mins): 13 points, 16 rebounds, 8 blocks, 2 steals | 4-11 FG, 4-5 FT

The star for Florida in that game, Clayton Jr., finished with 23 points on seven made three-pointers, which is the new record for most triples made by a Gator ever against Kentucky. He’ll be back in Rupp again on Saturday as Florida’s leader and best player. A handful of his current teammates from last season played in that game, too.

We’ll be hoping for a different outcome when Mark Pope leads his team into the SEC-opener tomorrow morning. But if the game is anything like last year’s, we’re in for a fun time in Rupp. Tipoff is set for 11:00 a.m. EST on ESPN.