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Knowing the Opponent: Scouting the Kentucky Wildcats

The Florida Gators open up SEC-play against bitter rival Kentucky. Learn more about the Wildcats under first-year head coach Mark Pope ahead of tip-off.

Kyle Lander

Dec 31, 2024; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard Lamont Butler (1) celebrates after forward Brandon Garrison dunks the ball during the second half against the Brown Bears at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images
Dec 31, 2024; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard Lamont Butler (1) celebrates after forward Brandon Garrison dunks the ball during the second half against the Brown Bears at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images / Jordan Prather-Imagn Images
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LEXINGTON, Ky.-- In just under 24 hours, the No. 6 Florida Gators will be going toe-to-toe with the No. 10-ranked Kentucky Wildcats in Rupp Arena. 

Despite a 13-0 start, the Gators have had its fair share of tests, but none will be greater than the one facing Todd Golden's squad ahead of its SEC opener.

With that being said, follow along below as Gators Illustrated details who the Kentucky Wildcats are in this first edition of Knowing the Opponent. 

Transfer Portal Additions Playing Vital Role

Despite losing their previous head coach John Calipari to Arkansas this past year and having almost every player enter the portal or declare for the draft following his departure, the Wildcats look to be an even stronger team than some of their previous versions with much of the thanks going to the portal. 

They brought in nine players this summer and most, if not all, of them have been key for new head coach Mark Pope. The biggest additions are Koby Brea, Otega Oweh, Lamont Butler, Jaxon Robinson and Amari Williams. 

Oweh leads the way for the team, scoring 15.9 points per game through 13 games. Following him is Butler with 13.3 points and 4.1 assists per game. Tied for third is Brea and Robinson with 11.9 points each. 

And while he might not be leading the team in scoring, Brea has been their most dangerous shooter on the roster and in the entire NCAA. He is connecting on 49.4 percent of his 3-point attempts, which ranks No. 5 in the country. 

If the Gators want a shot at taking down the Wildcats in their home arena, running Brea off the three-point line is priority number one. 

Elite Scoring

It’s no surprise as well to see how good this Wildcat team is on offense. They move the ball well and get great looks a lot of the time. It also helps when you have two players in Brea and Butler who are each shooting north of 40 percent from behind the 3-point line. 

The offense that Pope has been able to implement in Lexington has been one of the best in the entire country too. It is currently the No. 3 scoring offense in the country, averaging 89.0 points per game and only trailing Alabama and Iowa. 

Furthermore, they have six players who average 10 or more points per game, which makes this offense so much harder to defend. As mentioned they have elite shooters, but they also have guys who can work the low block or the midrange. When you have this much variation in the offense combined with great ball movement, it’s hard to really key in on one specific way of play or one player. 

Luckily, Gators head coach Todd Golden knows a thing or two about setting up a solid defense. Florida is 24th in scoring defense, surrendering just 63.5 points per game to their opponents. 

'Cats in Transition

A big reason this Kentucky offense is so potent is because of how they are able to turn missed shots and turnovers into quick points. 

The Wildcats, just like the Gators, are one of the top teams in fastbreak points per game. They average 17 points per game on the fastbreak, which places them at No. 12 in the NCAA in this category. 

Good thing is, Golden has already done his homework on this front and knows just how dangerous they are in transition. 

“That's going to be a huge key of the game,” Golden said after their win over Stetson. “That's a way they can hurt us in their gym is if we have loose, live ball turnovers that allow them to get out in transition.”

Tip-Off, TV and Lines

Tip-off between No. 6 Florida and No. 10 Kentucky is on Saturday at 11 a.m. with television coverage on ESPN. The Wildcats are considered 2.5-point favorites over the Gators with the over/under set at 165.5, according to FanDuel.

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Kyle Lander
KYLE LANDER

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