Three takeaways as Florida survives close call against Vanderbilt in SEC Tournament opener

It was a little too close for comfort, but the Gators held on for a win in their first game at the SEC Tournament in Nashville.

Florida had to play on Thursday by virtue of a loss to Tennessee in the regular season, and that was almost the end of its SEC Tournament action. Facing 12th-seeded Vanderbilt on a neutral court in Nashville, the Gators looked like they were going to win comfortably in the first half, taking a 12-point lead to the locker room and ending the period on an 8-0 run.

But the Commodores stormed back in the second, even snagging the lead with under eight minutes to play. Florida managed enough offense in the final minutes to hang on to a 69-63 win, but it wasn’t exactly the performance in the tournament opener five-seeded UF had hoped for.

The Gators’ outing on Thursday was enough to earn a third win over Vandy on the season and move on in the tournament, but a repeat of it in any game the rest of the way through will likely result in elimination. With that in mind, here are three takeaways from Florida’s Second Round win.