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The No. 10 seed University of Kentucky men's tennis team faces the No. 7 seeded and Southeastern Conference Tournament Champions Florida Gators in the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Championships in Stanford, Calif., on Thursday at 3 p.m. ET.

It's the second year in a row the Cats have made the Sweet 16, and the 22nd time in 29 years UK has made the NCAA tournament under coach Dennis Emery.

This will be their third meeting since April 1st.

Kentucky took the first match of the year, defeating the Gators 4-3 in Gainesville. That was the first time UK has taken a regular-season match in Gainesville since 1988.

But, the Gators got revenge winning their second meeting, winning SEC Tournament Championship.

For both coaches, any time these two teams meet, it's not fun.

This isn't the first time best friends compete with the stakes high, but it isn't every day that both coaches have such strong Kentucky ties.

Andy Jackson, Florida's coach grew up a UK basketball fan.

Jackson, a Kentucky boy who graduated Franklin Co. High, walked on at UK tennis and not only became the second best player, but captain.

"He's my closest friend in coaching and we go recruiting together," says Dennis Emery "It's tough for us to play each other, very tough."

Jackson and Emery not only vacation together, but they share go recruiting together.

"We've both gone to Wimbledon for like ten days. Stayed together over there because it's very expensive in London. We'll go over there and spend 10 days, talk tennis as well as recruiting."

The French connection, three French players have elevated UK's program. But, even though they are here and Cedric Kauffman, a great player for Dennis and now his right hand man is from France, he doesn't speak any French.

"Florida's number one player is French. He spouted off something and I asked Rossi what did he say. He goes you do not want to know what he said. I said tell me. He told me and he was right, I did not want to know."

All Dennis Emery wants to know is, is this the year UK makes it to the Final Four.