The Vanderbilt Commodores put a severe damper on Florida basketball’s NCAA Tournament aspirations on Saturday afternoon with an 88-80 win inside the O’Connell Center. The Gators have been slumping since their upset win over the Tennessee Volunteers while Vandy made it three in a row.
ESPN’s Basketball Power Index had been the most bullish of the major analytical rankings going into the game and remained that way despite the Orange and Blue dropping from No. 37 to No. 41. Florida’s strength of schedule is now ranked No. 16 while its strength of record is way down at No. 73.
Vanderbilt moved up from No. 97 to No. 93 following the win.
Next up for Florida are the Ole Miss Rebels who come to Gainesville to take on the Gators inside the O’Connell Center on Wednesday, Feb. 15. The Rebs are currently ranked No. 101 in the BPI. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. EST and can be either watched on the SEC Network or heard on the Gator Sports Network.
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