Florida had a golden opportunity to earn a Quadrant 1 win on the road Wednesday night against the 18th-ranked Tennessee Volunteers. The Gators got off to a hot start, leading by as much as 13 in the opening half and by eight heading into the break.
But the Volunteers fought back in the second half, outscoring UF by 15 in the final 20 minutes as they survived the upset scare. UT eventually pulled away for a 78-71 win in front of the home court at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville.
That’s now back-to-back losses for the Gators (12-9, 3-5 SEC) whose NCAA Tournament resume needs some serious work as we approach the back half of conference play. The Vols (14-5, 5-3 SEC) meanwhile have now won seven of the last eight matchups in this rivalry series.
Here are the takeaways as Florida let another great chance go by the wayside.