The Tennessee Volunteers entered the O’Connell Center on Wednesday night ranked No. 2 in both major polls as well as second or higher in the analytical rankings. Unfortunately for Rick Barnes’ squad, the Florida Gators were not impressed with those accolades and ran Rocky Top out of Gainesville in a 67-54 upset win — the biggest for [autotag]Todd Golden[/autotag]’s gang so far in his nascent tenure.
The aftermath of the victory resulted in a strong showing for Florida in the Pomeroy Collegiate Basketball Ratings update on Thursday, rising from No. 51 all the way up to No. 38 — one spot ahead of the Florida Atlantic Owls, who beat the Gators earlier this season. The adjusted offensive ranking for the Orange and Blue improved a few spots to No. 144 while the adjusted defensive ranking remained the same as it was following the Kansas State loss at No. 8.
Next up for Florida are the Kentucky Wildcats who host the Gators inside Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky, on Saturday, Feb. 4. The ‘Cats have won five-straight SEC games after a sluggish start and are currently ranked No. 35 in the NET. Tipoff is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. EST and can be followed by watching ESPN or listening to the Gators IMG Sports Network.
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