Good morning, folks! It’s an early Gameday here in Lexington. When was the last time Kentucky played a basketball game before noon local time? I certainly can’t remember any. BigBlueHistory tells us it’s the earliest UK game in Rupp Arena history. But why not make Mark Pope ‘s SEC debut as a head coach even more historic, right?
We’ve got a Top 10 showdown in store at Rupp Arena in just a few hours. The No. 10 Wildcats (11-2) will host the undefeated No. 6 Florida Gators (13-0) for an 11:00 a.m. EST tipoff on ESPN. It kicks off what will be an awesome slate of college basketball across the country throughout the day. There are 13 ranked matchups on the docket, but none feature a pair of Top 10 squads except for the one in the Bluegrass.
This matchup marks the first time in school history that Kentucky opens SEC play against a Top 10 opponent and just the fourth league opener with both teams ranked among the Top 25. Pope and Florida head coach Todd Golden have actually gone head-to-head several times over the years when they were coaching in the West Coast Conference. Pope leads the series 4-3…