KSR Today: Another SEC Tournament Saturday without Kentucky

Hello, friends. It’s the most wonderful time of the year. Spring has sprung. March Madness has arrived. We should be happy, but please, pardon me while I sulk about Kentucky basketball for a moment.

Yes, the Cats stayed in the fight against Florida. It was ugly, but an admirable performance. However, I still long for the days where this is one of the best days of the year.

Saturday of Championship Week is college basketball at its best. The SEC and Big Ten get rolling early, with the ACC, Big 12 and Big East crowning champions during primetime. If you couldn’t make the trip to Nashville, folks in Louisville could enjoy the St. Patrick’s Day Parade festivities, along with a big Kentucky basketball game. For folks in the Music City, it was a full-day affair, with Nashville turning a hue of blue as the Cats romped their way to the title before an epic evening on Broadway. Sadly, I had to use past tense to describe that scene.

Kentucky has not played on Saturday in the SEC Tournament since 2022. Those four years feel more like 14. Kentucky has not won an SEC Tournament Title in eight years (seven Tournaments), the longest drought in school history. Previously, the longest SEC Tournament Title drought was four.

Even though Kentucky would’ve been running on fumes with a fourth game in four days, a return to the SEC Tournament Semifinal would’ve brought an immense amount of joy to Big Blue Nation. Unfortunately, we’re stuck at home, once again watching from the sidelines.

Florida Left the Door Open for Kentucky

Florida has looked like one of the best teams in college basketball for most of SEC play, but that was not the case on Friday. Unfortunately, Kentucky could not take advantage of bad performance from the Gators.

The Cats trailed by 10 early, then rattled off a 10-0 run to tie the game, thanks to a couple of threes from Mo Dioubate. Florida responded with a 13-0 run, seemingly putting the game out of reach. It didn’t feel close, but Kentucky kept it close.

The Gators went nine minutes without making a field goal in the second half. Instead of going on a run to get within arm’s reach, Florida maintained a double-digit lead. Finally, Denzel Aberdeen hit a couple of threes to get the offense going, with an 8-0 run in about 60 seconds to get within striking range. Kentucky made it a 5-point game, but could never get closer, ultimately falling 71-63.

Todd Golden Took a Victory Lap

They say it’s hard to beat a team three times. Even though the Wildcats played Florida closer than any other SEC team over the last two months of conference play, the other saying is that “close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades.” Florida head coach Todd Golden reminded the SEC Network audience of his team’s accomplishment.

“We did what we needed to do. I would have preferred to win this game by 20, but we’ll take this 8-point win,” he said. “In the three games that we played these guys, they haven’t led for one minute.”

More from the Kentucky Loss to Florida

Pope Vows Kentucky will Bounce Back in NCAA Tournament
Kentucky had the right defensive gameplan vs. Florida
Kentucky Showed Resiliency at the SEC Tournament: “We didn’t stop fighting”
Takeaways from another way-too-early loss at the SEC Tournament
Collin Chandler should wear a helmet at the SEC Tournament
Pope, Chandler, and Dioubate Discuss the Loss
Ugly Stats from the Loss
Four Straight Friday Exits from the SEC Tournament
KSR Happy Hour Recaps Kentucky’s SEC Tournament
The KSR Postgame Show following the loss to Florida

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Matt Jones Ponied Up

It was less of a pony up, but there was still plenty of giddy up when Matt Jones paid his debts. Ahead of the SEC Tournament, he made a friendly wager. If Brandon Garrison tallied a double-digit scoring performance, he’d ride a bull. BBN didn’t have to wait long. It was BG time against LSU as the Kentucky center tallied 17 points, his second-most as a Wildcat. Matt is a man of his word and hopped on the back of a bull Friday night.

Matt goes bull riding after losing the bet on KSR. @KySportsRadio 😂 pic.twitter.com/pADBwMsLfA

— Mario A Maitland (@MarioMaitland_3) March 14, 2026

SEC Tournament Bracket

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Kentucky Baseball gets a Win over Alabama

The Bat Cats had a surprising absence to open the first SEC series of the season. Preseason All-American Tyler Bell was a late scratch. Kentucky still had no trouble finding offensive firepower. Kentucky hit dingers in each of the first two innings, then catcher Owen Jenkins hit the first of his career in the fourth, giving the Wildcats enough cushion for the bullpen to take them home. Kentucky took down Alabama with a 7-4 win, its 11th-straight. It should be a beautiful day for the second game of the series, with the first pitch at 2 pm ET.

The Latest from Kentucky Spring Practice

The Wildcats are officially on spring break. That doesn’t mean the coaching staff has pressed pause. Kentucky hosted a myriad of talented recruits in recent days. Ismael Camara, Li’Marcus Jones, and Malachi Brown are four-star trench athletes. They also hosted a pair of top-five quarterbacks, Israel Abrams and Jake Nawrot.

“It was great!” Nawrot told Steve Wiltfong. “Loved being around those coaches and their complex brains. I definitely learned a ton and am very interested in the program.”

Before the team departed, members of the Kentucky defense debriefed with the media shortly after the Wildcats’ third spring practice. Defensive coordinator Jay Bateman was an open book. We also got to hear from S Jordan Castell and DL Jamarrion Harkless.

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