Wednesday’s win broke a lot of troubling norms for the Gators.
For the first time since 2003, Florida defeated an AP Top 10 opponent on the road, using overtime to take down the No. 10 Kentucky Wildcats, 94-91 . It was the team’s 12th-ever win inside Rupp Arena in Lexington and snapped a five-game skid in the series with the Cats.
The win also notched Florida’s first Quadrant-I victory of the season, a metric used to determine NET rankings and, ultimately, a team’s resume for March Madness, while extending its current winning streak to four games.
Simply put, the victory was a statement of Florida’s upward trajectory under Todd Golden. But, inside the Gators’ locker room, it was seemingly the expectation.
“I wouldn’t say a program-maker,” Gators guard Walter Clayton Jr. stated following the contest when asked about the magnitude of the triumph. “It definitely helps, but me and the guys have been saying all year it’s us versus us.
“We know what we’re capable of, and tonight we came out and showed that.”