GAINESVILLE — Beating John Calipari on the road last season was a massive step for Florida coach Todd Golden and his program.
A win now against Coach Cal away from Gainesville could signal a natural progression for Golden’s surging Gators.
Calipari’s surprising offseason move from Kentucky to Arkansas makes the SEC’s winningest coach an easier mark than with the Wildcats, who won the 2015 national title and a dozen conference crowns — six each during the regular season and conference tournament — while he was there.
The No. 8 Gators (14-1, 1-1) aim to take advantage Saturday in Fayetteville and build on Tuesday night’s 73-43 rout of top-ranked Tennessee.
“It was an incredible win; obviously a great program-building win that speaks volumes about where we are at,” Golden said Friday. “But if we’re in April and we’re talking about our win against Tennessee in January, we haven’t done what we want to do.”
The Razorbacks (11-4, 0-2) have yet to find their stride but are usually a tough out at Bud Walton Arena, where UF has lost two straight and is winless since 2019.
An 89-87 win Dec. 11 against Michigan in the Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden was notable. Otherwise, Arkansas is 0-4 against other opponents ranked in Quad 1 of the NCAA’s Net rankings, including a 73-66 loss Wednesday night at home to Ole Miss.
Calipari’s squads, composed primarily of one-and-done freshmen for more than a decade at Kentucky, typically improve as a season progresses.
“They have really talented guards, and they’re long, they’re athletic, they’re really good around the rim — and generally his teams play that way,” Golden said. “As the year goes on, they’ll continue to take on his identity more and more.”
Yet the deck also isn’t stacked in Cal’s favor.
The 5-star prospects that flocked to Lexington to play for Big Blue Nation are going to need convincing to head to the Ozarks.
Forward Adou Theiro, a 6-foot-8, 220-pound junior, followed Calipari to Fayetteville and averages team-highs in points (16.9), rebounds (5.9) and steals (2). Sophomore guard DJ Wagner, who averages 10.5 points, also played last season at Kentucky. True freshman point guard Boogie Fland, a top-25 recruit in 2024 out of the Bronx, averages 15.5 points and 5.9 assists, second in the SEC.
The Razorbacks suffer a drop-off from there.
Meanwhile, the Gators’ wealth of options is among their calling cards.
With leading scorer Walter Clayton Jr. struggling to a season-low 7 points, backup Denzel Aberdeen had a season-high 16 points. Led by a career-high 15 boards by sophomore center Rueben Chinyelu, UF held a 56-37 rebounding edge against a Vols squad entering with a plus-10.4 margin during its 14-0 start.
After allowing Kentucky to shoot 58% during a 106-100 loss last Saturday in Rupp Arena, UF held Tennessee to 13.8% shooting to stake a 34-15 halftime lead and ultimately 37 points below their season scoring average (79.8).
“You play a game and you learn from it,” Chinyelu said Friday. “You take what you need to learn and you move on from it. If you don’t do well, it’s in the past.
“If you cry, it doesn’t change the situation.”
Florida rode the momentum of a 94-91 Jan. 31 victory at Rupp Arena against Calipari’s final Kentucky team to reach the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2021.
The current Gators are a effectively a lock for the Big Dance. But an SEC road win against a Hall of Fame coach learning the lay of the land in new surroundings would be another sign of progress.
“Just need to continue to put together really good efforts,” Golden said. “It’s always been hard in college basketball to go on the road and be successful, but this league, this season is even more difficult that way.”
Edgar Thompson can be reached at egthompson@orlandosentinel.com
Up next …
Florida at Arkansas
When: 4, Saturday
TV: ESPN
