Kentucky expert lays out what Florida fans need to pay attention to in SEC showdown

Florida is set to take on Kentucky at 3 PM today, with 1st place in the SEC on the line. Gator fans will surely hone in on former Gator turned Wildcat Denzel Aberdeen, but Kentucky as a whole has been playing better basketball as of late.

To get a better idea of the vibes in Lexington, we reached out to our Fansided sister site, Wildcat Blue Nation, and chatted with their site expert, Drew Holbrook, to get his take on Kentucky’s up-and-down season.

Florida takes on Kentucky with 1st place on the line

Hail Florida Hail: The focal point for Florida fans is going to be Denzel Aberdeen. Do Kentucky fans feel like they have gotten their money's worth from Aberdeen?

Drew Holbrook: It's interesting to consider Aberdeen. He has made some big shots this year, but fans also see a little selfishness. He has a tendency to drive into trouble and hoist up shots that have little chance of going in. But I think that's just Denzel doing things he isn't accustomed to. After Lowe went down, he's played a lot of PG1. That's not his game. 

When Kentucky runs the offense through someone else, his shot-making is generally much better. So, it's a bit of a mystery as to which Denzel shows up, kind of like the whole team. From the vibes I get, I believe fans believe he is worth what they paid. 

HFH: Staying on Aberdeen, the knock on him at Florida is that while he was a capable scorer, he tended to over-dribble and wasn't much of a passer. His assist number has gone up at Kentucky. Do you feel he has a better all-around game than he had at Florida?

DW: Just like I mentioned in the valuation of his game, his default setting is drive to the lane and shoot. That's just how he plays. It's not necessarily bad, but it's not a primary point guard trait. Injuries have forced him to play differently. 

I think Mark Pope has allowed him a freedom that Todd Golden didn't. It's all about philosophy, really, but Aberdeen's numbers are a function of an offense that is, when rolling, one that allows for assists to pile up. He's better than when he was at Florida, that's for sure. 

HFH: From the outside, Mark Pope feels like he has had to fight tooth and nail to keep Kentucky's season on the rails. How much of Kentucky's turnaround within SEC play is due to Pope versus the players versus the schedule itself?

DW: This is a point that I think a lot of fans gloss over, and they should. The players at the beginning of the season looked like they hated each other. There was bickering, selfish play, and a hesitation on playing for each other. That resulted in uneven performances, and that still happens. But what's been fascinating to watch is how Pope has morphed who this team is. 

At the beginning of the season, he spoke about having waves of players to press, force the tempo, and just try to overwhelm opponents. The injuries have made this team much more physical; they now rely on toughness and defensive gambles. It's why you see Oweh get beat a lot, they will go for steals. But it's also one of the only ways for this team to really get going, so Pope allows it. I think it has been a great coaching job, but the schedule allowed the team to find some confidence with some really challenging wins. 

Going to Knoxville and coming back is hard, but doing it in Baton Rouge helped them have the mindset to do it. 

Percentage-wise, Pope 40, players 35, schedule 25. 

HFH: How far does Kentucky need to go in the NCAA Tournament for Wildcat fans to consider this season a success?

DW: Before the season started, with the money spent, it was an Elite 8 or bust season. Expectations aren't that anymore. Now it's shifted to just fighting in every game and not getting blown out like Nashville. I think getting this group to the sweet 16 as is would satisfy most of BBN. But it also heaps a ton of pressure on next year to get to a Final Four. 

That said, a first-round loss is inexcusable for this team and would have Mark Pope entering year 3 with zero margin for error. 

HFH: Prediction?

DW: Florida's last 3 games have been elite. They've really looked like the team most everyone thought they would be. But there are weaknesses here that Kentucky can exploit. I'm sure I'm preaching to the choir when I say that they don't set each other up very well, and their shooting can be nightmarishly bad. That's been better the last 2 weeks, but I think if Kentucky can force the Gators into long twos and 3s they win this game. 

The battle will be on the glass, I don't trust Brandon Garrison enough to think he can keep Florida's front court out of the paint. He is just too inconsistent right now. He has the tools, but they don't always show up. And with now Quaintance, he will have to be big. And when you depend on that, it's probably not the best outcome.

Because of that, I think this goes down to the last 4 minutes where being at home allows the Gators to pull away a little. 81-72 Florida but a Kentucky win is much more likely than I think a lot of analysts are predicting.