SEC Basketball: Key 2018-19 storylines for Tennessee at Florida

Can Florida survive on the glass?

The last thing to keep an eye on in this contest will be whether or not Florida will be able to hang with Tennessee on the glass. The Volunteers are 26th nationally in rebounds per game with 40.64 and 15th with 29.93 defensive rebounds per contest. They have three players that average over six rebounds per game, Williams, (7.8), Kyle Alexander (8.1), and Schofield (6.2), but they also have five other players that chip in with at least two per game.

Florida, on the other hand, is a middle-of-the-pack rebounding team at 36.14 per game and rank outside the top-200 nationally in defensive rebounds per game with 25.21 and outside the top-125 on the offensive glass with just 10.93 per game.

Like Tennessee, the Gators have rebounding depth, with eight guys pulling down at least two per game, but unlike the Vols, Florida doesn’t have any go-to-guys on the glass, their leading rebounder, Kevarrius Hayes with 5.9 would be Tennessee’s 4th leading rebounder. Besides Hayes, the two best rebounders on the team, forwards Keyontae Johnson and Keith Stone combine to grab just 0.9 more rebounds per game than Tennessee’s top rebounder, Williams.

In order to keep this one close the Gators are going to need a yeoman’s effort on the glass at both ends, but so far this season they haven’t shown they have that kind of clout.