ESPN predicts the winner between the Kentucky Wildcats and Florida Gators

Will Mark Pope be able to win his first game in the SEC over #6 Florida?

Kentucky head coach Mark Pope instructed his team as the Wildcats faced off against the Brown Bears at Rupp Arena on New Year's Eve, Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024. / Jeff Faughender/Courier Journal & USA Today Network / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

SEC basketball is finally here, and it will be the most exciting season this league has ever seen. Currently, there are ten SEC teams ranked in the AP Poll, so the SEC is by far the best conference in college hoops this season.

Kentucky is set to kick off SEC play with a big boom as they are going to play the #6 Florida Gators in Rupp Arena. The Gators are 13-0 on the season, but they have not been tested all that much. According to ESPN, the Gator's strength of schedule in non-conference play was 115th, and they only had one quality win. This quality win came over North Carolina, where the Gators won 90-84.

There is no question that the Gators are a good basketball team, but college basketball fans will soon find out just how good they are when they take on Kentucky in Rupp Arena.

The key for the Wildcats will be to stop Florida guard Walter Clayton Jr., who is averaging 17.2 points per game. Clayton Jr. is one of the best guards in college basketball so Lamont Butler will have a big task when it comes to slowing him.

ESPN gives the Kentucky Wildcats a 61.3% chance of getting this massive home win over the #6 Gators to start SEC play. Winning ranked home games in the SEC is going to be crucial, so the Wildcats need this win badly.

A win over a top ten team in front of a rowdy Rupp Arena crowd would be the perfect way to welcome the New Year.