Florida basketball faces crucial test against No. 18 Tennessee

Florida basketball heads into a road matchup against Tennessee on Wednesday with some uncertainty after an ugly loss to Ole Miss on Monday.

The Gators were supposed to face the Rebels in December to kick off conference play, but the NCAA’s health and safety protocols led to the game being postponed and played when Florida was without their leader, center Colin Castleton. Although the team looked solid in two games without the big man, Castleton’s absence was hard not to notice in a 16-point loss to a very beatable team.

Once again, Florida’s biggest problem was shooting the ball on Monday. The team shot a combined 4 of 29 from three-point range, and that’s not going to cut it against Tennessee. The Volunteers have the size in the paint to force Florida outside, so the Gators need to be effective from long distance.

Guards Santiago Vescovi and Kennedy Chandler produce 27 points per game for Tennessee on average. Getting to either of them should help Florida stay in it, but the defense needs to play aggressively all night to do so. Gators center Jason Jitoboh will likely need some help from Tuongthach Gatkek and Anthony Duruji controlling UT’s big men if CJ Felder (game-time decision) isn’t available for the second straight game.

Make no mistake, Florida beating Tennessee would be a major upset and a statement win for the Gators. It’s not out of the cards as this team has proven itself capable without Castleton, but never against this level of talent. Even with their star player, the Gators couldn’t match up to Alabama or LSU.

Limiting turnovers and taking better shots will be key if UF is going to stand a chance. Duruji has taken over on offense before by barreling to the basket, and he may need to do so again to get the win on Wednesday.

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Tip-off is at 6 p.m EST in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Projected Starting Lineups:

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