![Florida head coach Todd Golden reacts during the second half of an NCAA mens basketball game against Mississippi State at Steven C. O'Connell Center Exactek arena in Gainesville, FL on Tuesday, March 3, 2026. [Alan Youngblood/Gainesville Sun]](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,x_0,y_0,w_2594,h_1459/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/213/01kkj03bk25qvwj4j2kz.jpg "Florida head coach Todd Golden reacts during the second half of an NCAA mens basketball game against Mississippi State at Steven C. O'Connell Center Exactek arena in Gainesville, FL on Tuesday, March 3, 2026. [Alan Youngblood/Gainesville Sun]")
Florida now knows its opponent for its opening game of the SEC Tournament: Kentucky has managed to win back-to-back games in Nashville to set up a quarterfinal showdown between the two teams.
For the most part, if looking through the lens of March Madness, Friday’s contest between the two teams won’t mean much. But if one wants a chance at series history, the Gators have a chance on Friday to do something that has only happened once in the history of the rivalry.
Florida has a chance at history on Friday
Florida managed to beat Kentucky on Valentine's Day, and they beat Kentucky on Senior Night. For those who struggle with math, Florida is 2-0 against Kentucky this season. A win on Friday would make it a three-game sweep against the Wildcats.
Only once in Florida history has it beaten Kentucky three times in the same season:
In 2014, Florida beat Kentucky 61-60 in the SEC title game. The Gators would go on to the Final Four, where they took a lead against UConn, and then we all just agreed the rest of the game didn’t happen. Coincidentally enough, Kentucky also made it to the Final Four that year and lost to the same UConn squad.
In 2026, if this Kentucky squad makes it to the Final Four, then somewhere warm will have frozen over.
More importantly, Friday is a chance to further drive home the narrative that Florida is a modern Blue Blood despite how much that may annoy Kentucky fans. The Wildcats have beaten the Gators three times in a season on six occasions, but haven’t pulled off the feat since 2015. And there are a whole bunch of other metrics that include Final Four appearances and overall national titles, which Florida has surpassed Kentucky in since 2000.
From a practical standpoint, there are minimal reasons Florida shouldn’t win. Kentucky will be playing its third game in three days, while Florida will be fresh. Throw in the two previous victories, and Friday has a great chance to be a great day to be a Florida Gator.