It’s official: Todd Golden and the Florida Gators are national champions. After winning the SEC in dominant fashion and (for the most part) tearing through their side of the bracket, nobody is all that surprised.

But for Kentucky fans, the only thing that comes to mind is the ‘Cats victory over the visiting Gators back in January. Conference play had just begun, and when two healthy teams faced off in Rupp Arena, it was the Wildcats who came out on top in a 106-100 thriller.

What could have been if Kentucky had been able to avoid injuries? That question is impossible to answer, but the test Florida endured in Lexington “excited” Coach Golden about his team’s capabilities moving forward.

Excited to Lose?

“I honestly was as excited as you can be after that game, after a loss,” he said. “A lot of people have questioned the strength of schedule we played in non-conference. Going on the road, playing in Rupp against a team that we knew was really good… it was a great game.”

A great game indeed, especially for the Big Blue. On the back of a 23-point Koby Brea performance, and in spite of 33 from Walter Clayton Jr., then #10 Kentucky toppled #6 Florida in one of their most impressive wins of the season.

For Golden, it was a win-win scenario, as his Gators only got better as a result. “In a way, it gave us confidence moving forward. Three or four days later, we beat Tennessee at home, No. 1 in the country, by 30. I think that week with those two contests explained to us and built a lot of belief within our program that we belonged at the top of the SEC.”

Florida was as difficult a team to beat as any this season – their final 36-4 record proves that. But looking back, it’s hard not to wonder what the season would’ve been like had Kentucky stayed healthy. One win in January held the key for two fantastic teams; unfortunately, only one of them got to use it.

Two days into the week and two booms for the Kentucky Wildcats as Jayden Quaintance announced his commitment to Kentucky on Tuesday morning.

If the Quaintance name sounds familiar, it should. He was originally committed to play for the Cats out of high school last season as a five-star recruit. While he was interested in staying at Kentucky following John Calipari’s departure, even meeting with Mark Pope, he elected to play for Arizona State.

In his one season with the Sun Devils, Quaintance averaged 9.4 PPG, 7.9 RPG, and 2.6 BPG, and earned Big 12 All-Freshman and All-Defensive honors.

The one concern for Quaintance is that he had surgery to repair a torn ACL, which could keep him out for the entire offseason and potentially into the season. That said, the expectation for a return is September, and at just 17 years old, there is so much untapped potential.

Get to know the newest Wildcat commit!

Mark Pope has officially landed his third transfer commitment for the 2025-26′ season in the form of junior forward Mouhamed Dioubate.

The commitment was announced on X (Twitter) by Dioubate himself, along with a graphic and a blue and white heart:

Dioubate, who spent the last two seasons playing for Nate Oats and the Alabama Crimson Tide, entered the portal less than a week before his commitment to Kentucky. Coach Pope and staff clearly had a circle around his name from day one.

The 6’7″ forward averaged seven points, six rebounds, and a block, steal and an assist per game in his sophomore season, scoring with an incredibly efficient 62%/46% shooting split. His three-point percentage, the latter of the two, rose an astronomical 37% between his first and second seasons. Dioubate can do it all and is why he is ranked as five-star transfer prospect by EvanMiya.

He’ll bring a much-needed brand of physicality and aggression to a roster that desperately needed it this past year, too, specializing in dunking would-be layups and giving nightmares to opposing offenses.

Dioubate will join forward Kam Williams and guard Jaland Lowe in what is shaping up to become one of the highest ranked classes in the country, and with more than two weeks of the portal remaining, he likely won’t be the last.