As losses mounted for Florida during the non-conference portion of the season, there was some buyer’s remorse from Gator fans. Xaivian Lee and Boogie Fland looked like guards Florida had picked out of the bargain bin at Five Below, while the guard they let walk out the door, Denzel Aberdeen, was doing relatively well at his new home.
Fast forward to Valentine's Day in Gainesville, and despite a game effort from Aberdeen and Kentucky, it was the guards who did suit up for Florida in 2026 who carried the day and outclassed the Wildcats all afternoon long.
Florida stays one step ahead of Kentucky to stay in 1st in the SEC
All season long, the Gators have had to rely on their big men while begging their guards to litteraly do anything to help out. All three of Florida’s starting big men were in double digits in points, but it was the long-range shooting of Lee and Urban Klavzar that carried the day for Florida.
Lee had 22 points while Klavzar had 19 points, and the two combined to go 9-18 from three. Lee had four shots made from deep in this game. He had four made three total during the five-game stretch from 1/20 to 2/7.
And so, after a season-long narrative that started to build once Aberdeen walked out the door, it was the day Aberdeen walked back through the door that it turned out Florida doesn’t need him in 2026 if their guards can play like this come March.
Up Next
Florida now moves to 10-2 in SEC play and is now in firm control of first place in the conference. The Gators have six games to close out the regular season, which includes a rematch with Kentucky in Lexington.
Before that, the Gators should have a relatively simple week with South Carolina coming to town on Tuesday and then a trip to Oxford against Ole Miss next Saturday.
At this point, Florida is just trying to lock down a No. 3 seed for the NCAA Tournament with eyeballs on a potential No. 2 seed if they can run the table the rest of the way.