GAINESVILLE, FL (352today.com) – The Florida Gators men’s basketball team starts off conference play at home this weekend in the O’Connell Center.

The Gators will host the #6 ranked Kentucky Wildcats Saturday afternoon, looking to capitalize off their momentum from their strong win over Quinnipiac last Saturday. Their 97-72 win over the Bobcats advanced their record to 10-3 and they’ll be focused on making that record 11-3 over the talented Wildcats.

According to NCAA rankings, Kentucky is 10-2 and ranked sixth overall in the country. They’re also coming off a strong win defeating Illinois State 96-70 last week.

Florida’s team had a lot to smile about during the holiday season winning all six of their December games.

However, Gators head coach Todd Golden is no stranger to the fact that conference play brings new and exciting challenges and competition. He shared in a news conference that he feels good about where his team is at this year.

“I’m a lot more confident you know about our team and where our program is going into SEC play compared to last year,” said Golden. “This year I feel like we have a much better understanding of who we are and how we can continue to be successful. There’s a lot of comfort in that.

Florida has lost their last four matchups against Kentucky. The latest matchup against the Wildcats was on February 22, 2022, and the Gators lost at home 74-82.

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They’ll be looking to break their losing streak against Kentucky and will need all the fan support they can get. If you’d like to attend the game, tickets are still available here. You are encouraged to wear orange to cheer on the Gators and the program says everyone who attends the game will also receive a FREE orange t-shirt.

Tipoff is at 12:30 p.m. If you cannot make it in person, you can catch the game on ESPN.

Take a look at their full SEC schedule below.