Just a year ago, guard Denzel Aberdeen was on the roster of the National Championship-winning Florida Gators.
Then, he decided to transfer to play for the Kentucky Wildcats, hoping to see more playing time at a program that wasn't defending a national title.
Now, Aberdeen and the Wildcats are coming to Gainesville, and Florida head coach Todd Golden isn't exactly expecting a warm welcome for his former player.
Kentucky vs. Florida as a few extra layers
When Golden joined ESPN's College GameDay on Saturday morning, just a few hours before the Gators and the Wildcats took the court, he made sure to let everyone know that he was going to be just fine with Florida fans letting Aberdeen know how they feel.
"I'm confident that people are going to let [Aberdeen] hear about it a little bit," Golden said when Jay Williams asked what he thought about the former Gator's return. "I imagine every time he touches the ball, they let him have it a little bit."
ESPN's Rece Davis noted that it seemed like Golden was even advocating for the fans to have their say with Aberdeen, but the Florida head coach had made sure to say that he still respects the young player.
"I appreciate everything he did for our program over the last three years," Golden prefaced. "He's a great kid. Obviously made a decision that he thought was best for him."
Famously, Aberdeen's father made some... choice comments about his son's move from Florida to Kentucky, saying that Golden didn't believe in him enough, despite Aberdeen being set up to possibly become a starter for the Gators.
"We’re going to have our five on the floor and 11,000 at the O’Dome doing our best to make it hard on him today," Golden concluded.
The No. 14 Gators and the No. 25 Wildcats are scheduled to tip off at 3 p.m. ET on Saturday, Feb. 14, and the top-25 SEC matchup will be broadcast on ABC.