Todd Golden did his best to keep the bones of last year’s national championship roster intact this offseason, but after relying on a senior-laden backcourt, it wasn’t easy. Beyond the departures of Walter Clayton Jr., Alijah Martin, and Will Richard for professional basketball, Florida also saw backup point guard Denzel Aberdeen hit the transfer portal to spend the final year of his eligibility elsewhere.
Golden reloaded with Boogie Fland and Xaivian Lee, and Aberdeen wound up in Lexington, and into a starting role. Now, Aberdeen will have a major spotlight on him for the rest of the season as Pitt transfer and projected starting guard Jaland Lowe will be out long-term after reinjuring his shoulder in practice.
Lowe played 30 minutes off the bench in No. 9 Kentucky’s 96-88 loss to No. 12 Louisville on Tuesday night. He finished with nine points and five assists as a primary offensive catalyst. Without Lowe in the mix, even more of the playmaking responsibilities will fall on Aberdeen’s shoulders after his departure from Gainesville.
Andrija Jelavic explains that he’s not a super emotional person, but when Jaland Lowe went down in practice and screamed in pain, it affected him.
— Cats Coverage (@Cats_Coverage) November 15, 2025
“I got goosebumps. I was really, really sad…” pic.twitter.com/GRbIy6e5Vc
Denzel Aberdeen thrust into major role for Kentucky with Jaland Lowe injury
The silver lining for Kentucky is that throughout Aberdeen’s career, he’s also thrived in his limited opportunities as a starter. The 6-foot-5 senior guard has started two of Kentucky’s three games this season, after registering five starts for the Gators last year, and across those seven games, he has averaged 15.7 points and 2.6 assists with 47/42/70 shooting splits. Those numbers compare favorably to his 6.7 points, 1.2 assists, and 42/32/74 shooting splits off the bench a year ago.
So far this season, Aberdeen is leading the Wildcats in scoring, averaging 16.0 points and 3.7 assists. That’s a significant uptick, especially considering last year’s leading scorer, Otega Oweh, returned for his final season of eligibility after scoring 16.2 points a game last season.
Lowe was brought to Lexington from Pitt to be a primary playmaking option after he averaged 16.8 points and 5.5 assists as a sophomore in the 2024-25 season. The lefty point guard is a crafty scorer. He can get to his step back to create space, has good touch on his floater in the paint, and is a high-level lob thrower out of the pick-and-roll.
Florida and Aberdeen will cross paths in February
There are currently six SEC teams in the AP Top 25, and though it’s just a week into the season, Alabama and Kentucky appear to be the biggest threats to Florida’s SEC Title defense.
The Gators’ matchup with Kentucky will be highly anticipated, especially if Aberdeen is one of their leaders, but fans will have to wait until February 14 when the Gators host the Wildcats in Gainesville. Then, Florida and Kentucky will close out the regular season in Lexington on March 7.