TV Schedule: 11:00 AM CST ESPN
Arena: Food City Center- Knoxville, TN
The Tennessee Volunteers and the Florida Gators meet in Knoxville in a rematch and revenge game for the Volunteers. In the first meeting, the Volunteers went to Gainesville undefeated and the number 1 team in the country. They left with a 30-point loss in a game that was never that close. Florida enters as the number 5 team in the country. The home team, Tennessee Volunteers, enters as the number 8 team in the country.
Tennessee enters the revenge game against Florida fresh off two straight losses and losses in 3 out of their last four games. The losses were at Auburn in a defensive battle where offense was at a premium. Tennessee most recently lost to Kentucky in a game they should have won. The other loss was a loss to Vanderbilt by one point that is a head scratcher. Needless to say, the Volunteers are in desperate need of a win and even more desperate need of a big win, especially in their conference.
The game plan for the Volunteers is always going to be defense. They come in as the number 2 ranked defense according to KenPom and only allow 59 points per game. Head coach Rick Barnes is a defensive master who ensures his teams are always locked in on the defensive end even when they are not scoring points. Tennessee contests everything at the three-point line and currently allows teams to shoot less than 30% from deep. The Volunteers get a ton of steals and block a ton of shots. Their ability to continue to guard the three-point line will be imperative against Florida, which can get hot and stretch a lead quickly from deep.
The reverse is true for Tennessee on the offensive end. They will take a ton of threes, and they take a lot of threes within the offense. Guards Chaz Lanier (17.8 points, 3.1 rebounds, 41% from deep) and Zakai Ziegler (12.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, 7.4 assists) lead the offense. Lanier dominates the shots in the offense and has been one of the best scorers in the country for most of the year. Ziegler has been one of the best passers in the country since he arrived on campus in Knoxville. Ziegler and Lanier have to play well if the Volunteers want to win at home. Tennessee is not going to be able to survive a bad game from their two stars.
Florida is one of the best teams in the country. They play extremely fast, take a ton of threes, and are one of the best rebounding teams in the country. The Gators use their ability to get rebounds and get out in transition for easy baskets. The speed at which they play overwhelms teams quickly. That is what happened to Tennessee in the first meeting. The Volunteers couldn’t make any shots and Florida got out to run and ended the game quickly.
The Gators, like so many other teams in the country, are led by a fantastic backcourt duo. Walter Clayton (17.8 points, 3.4 rebounds, 4.0 assists) and Alijah Martin (16.1 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists) are both transfers in the program. Clayton is a transfer from Iona and was coached by Rick Pitino. Martin is a transfer from Florida Atlantic who played in the final four and was coached by Dusty May. The two guards are physical guards who can easily get to the rim and are deadly from deep. Florida, just like their opponents, can not afford a bad night from their stars, however, they have far more depth and consistent scoring options than Tennessee has.
As good as the Gators are offense, their defense has been fantastic this season and has allowed them to blow a lot of teams out. The Gators contest everything and use their physicality to push guys off their spots. They don’t allow much from the three point line and if you pass up on a three there are going to be shot blockers waiting at the rim. Once the opponents miss the shot, Florida will scoop up the rebound and off to the races in transition for easy baskets.
Tennessee is not going to let Florida blow them out in their own building, but they may not have a choice, given the way that the Gators play. Tennessee does not match up well with Florida and their style of play at all. However, in the last game that Tennessee played against a fast-paced offense, they were able to keep Auburn in check and kept the game low-scoring. Something has to give here. Will Florida be able to get out and run and get easy transition baskets, which doomed Tennessee in the first meeting? Can Tennessee make enough shots to keep this game close? Will the Volunteers be able to stick with the Gators on the glass and keep this a half-court game? If the game is a half-court game, it favors the Volunteers. Tennessee desperately needs a huge win.
Prediction: Florida 70, Tennessee 65