Kentucky basketball: Mark Pope praises team, fans after win vs Brown
Kentucky Wildcats basketball coach Mark Pope praised fans and his team’s efforts in their win against Brown on New Year’s Eve at Rupp Arena.
LEXINGTON — For Kentucky basketball coach Mark Pope, identifying Florida‘s greatest strength isn’t difficult.
The Gators average nearly 46 rebounds per game, the top mark in Division I. But Pope said Florida, which is off to the second-best start to a season in program history (13-0) entering today’s SEC-opening clash at Rupp Arena, is much more than just a team that can punish foes on the glass.
“In half-court defense, they’re in the top one percentile,” Pope said. “They’re one of the top teams defensively in the half court in the country.”
The Wildcats, Pope said, also have to be cognizant of the Gators’ terrific trio of guards. Walter Clayton Jr., Alijah Martin and Will Richard are experienced — Martin is in his fifth college season while Clayton and Richard are seniors — and all three average at least 14.2 points per game.
And in the frontcourt, the 6-foot-11 Alex Condon and the 6-10 Rueben Chinyelu combine for more than 14 boards per outing.
“Their bigs are just voracious,” Pope said. “They’re relentless and physical and skilled and can shoot it.”
With UK (11-2) and Florida ranked among the top 11 in both the USA TODAY Coaches and Associated Press polls, Pope expects another touch-and-go contest.
“It’s going to be a great test for us to see where we are right now and the lessons we’ve learned,” he said, “and how we implemented them.”
Follow along below with live updates from Rupp Arena:
The contest between the Wildcats and Gators will air on ESPN. Dan Shulman (play-by-play) and Jay Bilas (analyst) will have the call.
Authenticated subscribers can access ESPN via TV-connected devices or by going to WatchESPN.com, the WatchESPN app or ESPN+.
You also can stream ESPN, which offers a free trial.
Tom Leach (play-by-play) and Jack Givens (analyst) will have the UK radio network call on 840 AM in Louisville and both 630 AM and 98.1 FM in Lexington.
You can also listen online via UKAthletics.com.
Betting odds: Kentucky is a 2 ½-point favorite (-112) on DraftKings, which set the over/under at 164 ½ points (-110). The money line odds are Kentucky -155, Florida +130.
- Oct. 23: exhibition vs. Kentucky Wesleyan ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 123, Kentucky Wesleyan 52
- Oct. 29: exhibition vs. Minnesota State Mankato ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 98, Minnesota State Mankato 67
- Nov. 4: vs. Wright State (Rupp Arena) ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 103, Wright State 62
- Nov. 9: vs. Bucknell (Rupp Arena) ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 100, Bucknell 72
- Nov. 12: vs. Duke (Champions Classic; State Farm Arena, Atlanta) ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 77, Duke 72
- Nov. 19: vs. Lipscomb, (Rupp Arena) ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 97, Lipscomb 68
- Nov. 22: vs. Jackson State (Rupp Arena) ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 108, Jackson State 59
- Nov. 26: vs. Western Kentucky (Rupp Arena) ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 87, Western Kentucky 68
- Nov. 29: vs. Georgia State (Rupp Arena) ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 105, Georgia State 76
- Dec. 3: at Clemson (ACC/SEC Challenge) ∣ SCORE: Clemson 70, Kentucky 66
- Dec. 7: vs. Gonzaga (Climate Pledge Arena; Seattle) ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 90, Gonzaga 89 (OT)
- Dec. 11: vs. Colgate (Rupp Arena) ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 78, Colgate 67
- Dec. 14: vs. Louisville (Rupp Arena) ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 93, Louisville 85
- Dec. 21: vs. Ohio State (CBS Sports Classic; Madison Square Garden, New York) | SCORE: Ohio State 85, Kentucky 65
- Dec. 31: vs. Brown (Rupp Arena) | SCORE: Kentucky 88, Brown 54
- Jan. 4: vs. Florida (Rupp Arena), 11 a.m., ESPN
- Jan. 7: at Georgia, 7 p.m., SEC Network
- Jan. 11: at Mississippi State, 8:30 p.m., SEC Network
- Jan. 14: vs. Texas A&M (Rupp Arena), 7 p.m., ESPN2/ESPNU
- Jan. 18: vs. Alabama (Rupp Arena), noon, ESPN
- Jan. 25: at Vanderbilt, 2:30 p.m., ESPN/ESPN2
- Jan. 28: at Tennessee, 7 p.m., ESPN
- Feb. 1: vs. Arkansas (Rupp Arena), 9 p.m., ESPN
- Feb. 4: at Ole Miss, 7 p.m., ESPN
- Feb. 8: vs. South Carolina (Rupp Arena), noon, ESPN/ESPN2
- Feb. 11: vs. Tennessee (Rupp Arena), 7 p.m., ESPN
- Feb. 15: at Texas, 8 p.m., ESPN
- Feb. 19: vs. Vanderbilt (Rupp Arena), 7 p.m., SEC Network
- Feb. 22: at Alabama, 6 p.m., ESPN
- Feb. 26: at Oklahoma, 9 p.m., SEC Network
- March 1: vs. Auburn (Rupp Arena), 1/4 p.m., ABC/ESPN
- March 4: vs. LSU (Rupp Arena), 7/9 p.m., ESPN/ESPN2/ESPNU
- March 8: at Missouri, noon, ESPN/SEC Network
Record: 11-2
- Ansley Almonor (forward, senior)
- Koby Brea (guard, graduate)
- Lamont Butler (guard, graduate)
- Andrew Carr (forward, graduate)
- Collin Chandler (guard, freshman)
- Grant Darbyshire (guard, junior)
- Brandon Garrison (forward, sophomore)
- Walker Horn (guard, junior)
- Kerr Kriisa (guard, senior)
- Trent Noah (forward, freshman)
- Otega Oweh (guard, junior)
- Travis Perry (guard, freshman)
- Jaxson Robinson (guard, graduate)
- Zach Tow (forward, junior)
- Amari Williams (center, graduate)
Florida went 24-12 overall last season, posting an 11-7 mark in SEC play. Its season ended in a 102-100 loss to Colorado in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
The Gators are 13-0 this season, one of just three remaining undefeated teams in Division I; the other two unbeaten squads also reside in the SEC (Oklahoma and Tennessee).
Here are Florida’s baker’s dozen of victories since the 2024-25 campaign began:
Click here to see the Gators’ full 2024-25 schedule.
Want to learn the Gators’ roster?
Click here for player bios and more.
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Reach Kentucky men’s basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at rblack@gannett.com and follow him on X at @RyanABlack.
