LEXINGTON – Florida basketball relied on a simple formula en route to a 13-0 start this season. Armed with the best rebounding team in the country, the Gators used their dominance on the glass to fuel the offense and averaged nearly 20 points per game in transition, ranking them No. 2 nationally entering Saturday.

In a duel with Kentucky that ended before noon on Saturday, Florida still prevailed and won the rebound battle 38-30.

But the Wildcats won the game.

By minimizing the Gators’ fast-break attack, the Wildcats cruised to a 106-100 win at Rupp Arena in the SEC opener for both clubs.

The matchup between ranked teams – Kentucky was ranked No. 11 in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll, six spots behind No. 5 Florida – also marked the league debut for first-year UK coach Mark Pope.

For the Wildcats (12-2, 1-0 SEC), their coach’s first conference duel counted.

This handed the Gators (13-1, 0-1) their first loss of the season – it was the Gators’ second-best start, behind only the 17-0 loss at the start of the 2005-06 season; That team went on to win the school’s first national title in men’s basketball, a testament to the Wildcats’ ability to keep the visitors at bay during the transition period. Florida scored just three fast-break points in the first 39 minutes of Saturday’s game and scored five more points in the final 15 seconds as it tried to pull off an epic rally.