Twisting The Knife: Florida Beat Kentucky Again, But Todd Golden Wanted To Run The Cats' Out Of Nashville

NASHVILLE— Florida fans have to be feeling great about their chances of running it back this season for another national championship. And when it comes to SEC play, the Gators’ dominance over Kentucky this season had head coach Todd Golden feeling a little extra spicy following the 71-63 SEC Tournament win.

Friday's win over the Wildcats inside Bridgestone Arena felt more like a road win at Rupp Arena, which didn’t look to bother the Gators from the tip. 

Given that the Gators are playing like a team that is ready to make another NCAA Tournament run, it's easy to see why Golden feels good about their chances of cutting down the nets for a consecutive season. 

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But, it's what the Gators have done to Kentucky this season against their reported $22 million roster that makes these wins a tad bit sweeter for Florida fans. 

In its 120 minutes of total basketball played this season, Kentucky did not lead a single minute of the three games, which came out to 7,200 seconds of game action, thanks to my buddy Nick Del Torre's prominent math. 

Now that's impressive, especially with a rivalry that runs through deep-seated hate. 

Florida's Todd Golden Wanted To Not Only Win, But Bury Kentucky

It's actually stunning when you think about it, especially with as much hype that the Cats' rightfully received heading into the start of this season. 

While the Gators started the season by providing fans in Gainesville with a bit of anxiety about their roster, this has looked like a team that is playing well enough for Florida faithful to at least book refundable rooms in Indianapolis for the Final Four. 

And if you think Todd Golden was going to waste an opportunity to throw a little salt on the Kentucky wounds, you'd be wrong. 

Following their 71-63 win on Friday afternoon in Nashville, the Gators head coach mentioned that he wasn't just satisfied with the eight-point win. He wanted to run Kentucky out of the Bridgestone Arena in the process. 

"I would’ve preferred to win this game by 20, but we’ll take an eight-point win," Golden said postgame. "In the three games that we played these guys, they haven’t led for one minute."

Whew, that's a head coach that understands the rivalry with Kentucky, and his audience in this era of college athletics. 

After the win Friday, the Gators will play Vanderbilt in the semifinals, looking for two more wins and an SEC championship.