The Florida Gators bounced back from their first loss of the season with a strong statement on Tuesday.
No. 8 Florida defeated No. 1 Tennessee in emphatic fashion with a 73-43 victory at Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center in Gainesville. Florida (14-1, 1-1 SEC) knocked off the last remaining unbeaten team in men’s college basketball, with Tennessee falling to 14-1 (1-1 SEC).
The Gators started the game on a 12-0 run and never looked back, holding a 34-15 lead in the first half. The second half for Florida was more of the same, as it built a game-high lead of 36 points (64-28) with 5:55 remaining in the contest.
Alijah Martin led the Gators with 18 points and six rebounds, while Denzel Aberdeen added 16 points and Alex Condon added 12. Zakai Zeigler and Chaz Lanier scored 10 points apiece to lead the Vols.
Florida was coming off a 106-100 loss on Saturday on the road against No. 11 Kentucky. As a result of the loss, the Gators fell three spots from No. 5 to No. 8 in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll this week.
Tennessee was limited to 21% (12-of-56) shooting from the field, including 4-of-29 shooting from 3-point range. The Vols avoided the worst loss by a No. 1 team with a run late in the contest. No. 2 Kentucky beat No. 1 St. John’s by 41 back in 1951, for the biggest margin of victory.
The Vols were coming off a 76-52 win over Arkansas to match the best start in program history (1922-23). This week, Tennessee broke a program record by being ranked as No. 1 for the fifth consecutive week, breaking the previous record of four (2018-19).
Tennessee’s previous low this season was 64 points in a 64-42 victory over Virginia on Nov. 21, 2024. This is the Vols’ lowest point since a 46-43 win over Auburn on Feb. 4, 2023.
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