Oscar Tshiebwe was dominant against Florida last year

When Billy Donovan was roaming the sidelines in Gainesville, the Florida-Kentucky series became the top rivalry in the SEC. The Gators and Wildcats met twice per season and each meeting was a must watch and typically was a top 25 matchup. The series took a step back under Mike White, but the Gators were able to give UK some problems. New Florida head coach Todd Golden is looking to make this a top-notch rivalry again.

The former San Francisco head coach has some long-term watch to do to build Florida basketball. But in the short term, the Gators must find some answers on the defensive end for Oscar Tshiebwe.

In two Kentucky wins last season, Florida simply had zero success slowing down the National Player of the Year.

• Kentucky 78, Florida 57 (Feb. 12): 27 points on 18 field goal attempts, 19 rebounds (10 offensive), 3 steals, 2 assists in 38 minutes
• Kentucky 71, Florida 63 (March 5): 27 points on 16 field goal attempts, 14 rebounds (3 offensive), 3 steals, 2 blocks in 36 minutes

The Gators simply had no answers for Tshiebwe on Kentucky’s way to completing the season sweep last season. However, this year could be different.

Florida currently ranks No. 8 in adjusted defensive efficiency per KenPom. This would be the highest finish for the program since 2017. Florida ranks No. 7 in two-point field goal percentage defense (43%), No. 11 in block percentage (14.7%), doesn’t foul a lot, and runs offenses off of the three-point line. Star center Colin Castleton is a huge piece and the super senior will have a very interesting head-to-head matchup with Tshiebwe.

In their two meetings last year, the 6-11 Castleton put up 41 combined points on 30 field goal attempts with 18 rebounds. This season, Castleton ranks No. 2 in the SEC in block percentage (10.5%). The veteran is one of the best players in the SEC who will anchor Florida’s top-10 defense while the Gators will play through the big man on offense. Castleton enters Saturday putting up 15.1 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 2.6 assists in 31 minutes per game.

We’re going to get to a premium matchup at the five in this game. Oscar Tshiebwe earned the upper hand in last year’s meetings. Will that remain true against a top-10 Florida defense?