Todd Golden says Kentucky played an important part in Florida's journey to Final Four

On Saturday, Florida will face Auburn for a spot in the national championship game, the first time two SEC teams have gone head-to-head in the national semifinals. The Gators are a 2.5-point favorite over the Tigers, riding a ten-game winning streak to San Antonio that includes five wins over top-20 KenPom teams by 14 or more points and an SEC Tournament championship.

Florida has only lost four games this season. The first of those was to Kentucky on Jan. 4 to open SEC play. Today in San Antonio, Todd Golden said that the 106-100 loss to the Cats in Rupp Arena played an important part in the Gators’ journey to the Final Four.

“I honestly was as excited as you can be after that game, after a loss,” Golden said. “A lot of people have questioned the strength of schedule we played in non-conference. Going on the road, playing in Rupp against a team that we knew was really good. We didn’t guard necessarily well enough, but we played well in that game. It was a great game.”

It really was, especially if you’re a Kentucky fan. Koby Brea came off the bench to score 23 points, including seven three-pointers, the third of which tied the game at 26 in the first half. Kentucky took a 10-point lead into halftime, and when Florida cut that to one with 12 minutes to go, the Cats went on a 10-0 run. The Gators cut the lead back to two, 89-87, with 4:40 to go with a pair of free throws by Walter Clayton Jr., but Lamont Butler hit a three and two free throws to seize control for good. Butler finished with 19 points and 8 assists, one of six Cats in double figures. Clayton Jr., who mounted the Gators’ comeback vs. Texas Tech to advance to the Final Four, had 33 points.

Kentucky had a lot of big wins this season — eight over AP Top 15 foes — but looking back, you could argue the one over Florida showcased the Cats at their best. Kentucky shot 57.8% from the field and 14-29 (48.3%) from three, totaling 25 assists on 37 made baskets to just six turnovers. It was a beautiful game of basketball, one that apparently benefitted both sides.

“In a way, it gave us confidence moving forward,” Golden said of the loss. “Three or four days later, we beat Tennessee at home, No. 1 in the country, by 30. I think that week with those two contests explained to us and built a lot of belief within our program that we belonged at the top of the SEC.”

If you go by the transitive property, Florida winning it all makes Kentucky look better, right?