GAINESVILLE, Florida – The question of whether Florida Basketball Should have let Denzel Aberdeen leave in the offseason seems to have been answered.
Aberdeen would probably have been the holders for the Alligatorswho had just won a national title. However, the failure of the “negotiations” led to Aberdeen transferred to Kentucky and join the Wildcats’ $22 million roster.
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Regardless of each side’s reasoning as to whether Aberdeen should have been rewarded with a lucrative deal or whether 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 outplayed him and scored a game-high 22 points that fueled Florida’s victory. victory 92-83 against Kentucky on Saturday, February 14.
“I mean, he plays really well, doesn’t he? Florida coach Todd Golden said of Lee. “I mean, he was fantastic at Georgia, he was great at Vanderbilt. He’s put together some really good games over the last couple of weeks, and I thought he was fantastic today.”
Aberdeen, who had a respectable year at Kentucky, made 8 of 21 shots, but led Kentucky with 19 points and four assists.
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“I thought it was a good game,” said Florida’s Alex Condon, who scored 14 points. “I knew ‘Zel was going to be aggressive tonight and try to fuel the crowd a little bit. Credit to him. He played a solid game, he was aggressive. I thought our guys did a great job getting him to take tough 2s, getting him from the 3-point line. Yeah, overall I was really proud of the team.”
The Gators defense also held UK’s leading scorer and SEC Preseason Player of the Year, Otega Oweh, to 13 points while he made 4 of 14 from the field.
“I thought we did a great job on (Aberdeen),” Golden said. “I thought he would have tough shows.
“But if we could cut it off for them, we’d 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, going 12 out of 35 combined is winning basketball, that’s for sure.”
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Not to mention that Urban Klavzar, who opted to stay with UF after barely seeing the court last season, scored 19 points coming off the bench. Klavzar and Lee combined for nine 3-pointers, as UF became slightly more efficient from beyond the arc during its recent five-game winning streak.
“I think the previous message was also how high, you know, what our ceiling can be when the shots start falling,” Lee said. “I think we’re seeing it 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 those are more controllable things, and when that happens, it makes us even harder to beat.”
Yes, Aberdeen and Kentucky will get another chance against Florida in the regular season finale at Rupp Arena, but for now, the answer to moving on seems simple 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 could play with us,” Condon said. “We’re a dangerous team. Inside, rebounding is especially important. It’s our DNA. Every game we try to win the rebound, we count by at least 12, and it sucks guys inside, and then you throw it away, and these guys hit 3s. It’s really unbeatable basketball, I think.”
This article was originally published on USA TODAY: Florida basketball takes over Kentucky, transfer Denzel Aberdeen
