No. 5 Florida beats Kentucky 84-77 to finish regular season with 11-game win streak

Thomas Haugh led the Gators with 20 points and 9 rebounds in the victory.

Published on Mar. 8, 2026

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

The No. 5 ranked Florida Gators defeated the Kentucky Wildcats 84-77 on Saturday to end the regular season with an 11-game winning streak. Thomas Haugh led the Gators with 20 points and 9 rebounds, while Boogie Fland added 16 points and 6 assists. Florida scored the first 11 points of the game and never trailed, leading by as much as 18 points in the first half.

Why it matters

The win clinches the SEC regular season title for Florida, who will be the No. 1 seed in next week's SEC Tournament. Kentucky, meanwhile, finishes the regular season at 19-12 overall and 10-8 in conference play, and will be looking to improve their NCAA Tournament seeding in the SEC Tournament.

The details

Florida jumped out to an 11-0 lead to start the game and maintained control throughout. Haugh scored 17 of his 20 points in the first half, hitting 3 three-pointers. Kentucky struggled early, missing their first 7 shots, but were able to pull within 1 point on a couple occasions before Florida responded with a 13-0 run to build a big halftime lead. The Gators led by as much as 18 in the first half before Kentucky made a second half push, but Florida was able to hold on for the 84-77 victory.

  • The game was played on Saturday, March 8, 2026.
  • Florida ended the regular season with an 11-game winning streak.

The players

Thomas Haugh

A Florida Gators player who scored 20 points and had 9 rebounds in the win.

Boogie Fland

A Florida Gators player who scored 16 points and had 6 assists in the victory.

Otega Oweh

A Kentucky Wildcats player who led all scorers with 28 points, 17 of which came in the first half.

Denzel Aberdeen

A Kentucky Wildcats senior player who scored 15 points in his final regular season game.

Got photos? Submit your photos here. ›

What they’re saying

“This was a big win for us to cap off the regular season. We played with a lot of energy and focus from the start and were able to hold on for the victory.”

— Thomas Haugh, Florida Gators Player

What’s next

Florida, as the No. 1 seed, will have a double-bye into the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament in Nashville next week. Kentucky will await their first opponent in the SEC Tournament as they look to improve their NCAA Tournament seeding.

The takeaway

Florida's dominant regular season performance, capped by an 11-game winning streak, has them poised as the team to beat in the SEC Tournament. Meanwhile, Kentucky will look to bounce back in the postseason after a somewhat disappointing regular season by their standards.