GAINESVILLE, Florida – The question of whether Florida basketball should have let Denzel Aberdeen leave in the offseason seems to have been answered.
Aberdeen likely would have been a starter for the Gators, who were fresh off a national title. However, failed ‘negotiations’ led to Aberdeen transferring to Kentucky and joining the Wildcats’ reported $22 million roster.
Regardless of the rationale on either side as to whether Aberdeen should have been rewarded a lucrative deal or if the Gators were smart to move on and invest elsewhere, it’s safe to say the latter was the better deal for Florida (19-6, 10-2 SEC).
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In Aberdeen’s return to the O’Dome, Xaivian Lee outdueled him and scored a game-high 22 points that fueled Florida’s 92-83 win against Kentucky on Saturday, Feb. 14.
“I mean, he’s playing great, right?” said Florida coach Todd Golden of Lee. “I mean, he was fantastic at Georgia, he was great at Vanderbilt. He’s stacked some really good games over the last couple of weeks, and I thought he was fantastic today.”
Aberdeen, who has had a respectable year at Kentucky, went 8-of-21 from the floor, but led Kentucky with 19 points and four assists.
“I think it was a good matchup,” said Florida’s Alex Condon, who scored 14 points. “I knew ‘Zel was going to be aggressive tonight and try to fuel off the crowd a little bit. Credit to him. He played a solid game, was aggressive. I think our guys did a great job making him take tough 2s, running him off the 3-point line. Yeah, as a whole, I was really proud of the team.”
The Gators’ defense also held UK’s leading scorer and the SEC’s Preseason Player of the Year, Otega Oweh, to 13 points as he went 4-of-14 from the floor.
“I thought we did a great job on (Aberdeen),” Golden said. “I thought he’d get some tough shows.
“But if we could cut their water off then we would give ourselves a good chance to win. They’re both really good players, and you’re not going to make them miss every time. But you know to go combined 12-of-35, that’s winning basketball for sure.”
Not to mention, Urban Klavzar, who opted to stay with UF after barely seeing the floor last season, delivered 19 points off the bench. Klavzar and Lee combined for nine 3-pointers, as UF has become slightly more effective beyond the arc in its recent five-game win streak.
“I think the message before was also how good, you know, what our ceiling can be as shots start to fall,” Lee said. “I think we’re seeing that a little bit now, for sure. But, honestly, I don’t think that’s really what we’re focusing on, to be honest. I think it’s more just controllables, and then when that happens, it makes us that much harder to beat.”
Yes, Aberdeen and Kentucky will get another shot at Florida in the regular-season finale in Rupp Arena, but for now, the answer to move on seems straightforward as the Gators have gotten better.
“I think when we hit 10 3s, I think it was in back-to-back games, I don’t think anyone in the country can play with us,” Condon said. “We’re a dangerous team. Inside, especially rebounding is a big emphasis. That’s our DNA. Every game we try to win the rebound count by at least 12, and it sucks the guys inside, and then you throw it out, and these guys hit 3s. It’s really unbeatable basketball I think.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Florida basketball gets best of Kentucky, transfer Denzel Aberdeen
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