Florida @ Kentucky preview

Last Meeting ( Feb 2, 2019 ) Kentucky 65, Florida 54

Florida's NCAA Tournament bubble is about to burst after the Gators came up one point short Wednesday in a game they desperately needed to win, falling in overtime 79-78 to LSU. Florida gets another chance to make a positive impression Saturday as it closes out the regular season on the road at sixth-ranked Kentucky, who needed a double-digit comeback to defeat Florida 65-54 a month ago.

While this game is certainly vital for the Gators, the urgency is there as well for the Wildcats, whose resume was tarnished a bit with their crushing 71-52 loss to Tennessee a week ago although they did rebound with an 80-76 triumph over Ole Miss on Tuesday. The Wildcats still have a chance at a share of the SEC regular-season title -- both Tennessee and LSU would have to lose their finales -- and they are battling as well for the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Kentucky can't afford a home loss at this juncture if they want that top seeding, but the Gators won at Lexington last season and are trying for their first back-to-back road wins against the Wildcats since 2006 and 2007. Of course, it depends which Florida team shows up -- the one that went on a five-game winning streak at the end of February to thrust itself into the NCAA Tournament picture or the one that opened March a bit overconfident and wound up losing at home to the second-worst team in the conference (Georgia) to seriously damage its postseason hopes.

TV: 2 p.m. ET, CBS

ABOUT FLORIDA (17-13, 9-8 SEC): Senior guard Jalen Hudson has endured a rollercoaster season, but he has come on strong of late to help spur the team's resurgence and he stole the show on Senior Night for the Gators, lighting up the LSU defense for a season-high 33 points, including a 15-minute stretch when he scored 27 of his team's 30 points. Fellow senior KeVaughn Allen, the team's leading scorer (12.2 ppg), managed just four points (1-of-6) in 40 minutes against LSU and he did not attempt a single shot in the second half. The Gators were outrebounded 46-36 by LSU, which doesn't bode well against Kentucky, which had a huge 46-34 advantage on the glass in the first meeting between these rivals.

ABOUT KENTUCKY (25-5, 14-3): Forward Reid Travis is the only starting senior for the Wildcats, but he has missed the last four games with a sprained knee and his status remains day-to-day. His absence puts more pressure on sophomore forward PJ Washington (14.9 ppg, 7.4 rpg), who had 15 points and 12 rebounds in the first meeting with Florida for one of his seven double-doubles this season, and he has scored 20 or more points in eight of the last 13 games. Kentucky has been outrebounded just twice in the last 16 games, but one of those two outings came last time out as Ole Miss won the battle on the boards 37-29.

TIP-INS

1. The Gators swept the series last season and now the Wildcats are in position for the sweep after winning the first meeting a little over a month ago.

2. C Kevarrius Hayes needs just two blocks to become the first Gator to record 60 blocked shots in three different seasons.

3. Kentucky could be the No. 2 or No. 3 seed in the SEC Tournament.

PREDICTION: Kentucky 78, Florida 69