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The No. 5-seeded Florida Gators survived to play another day in the Southeastern Conference Tournament on Thursday, pulling off a 69-93 win over the No. 12 seed Vanderbilt Commodores in Round 2. Now, UF turns its attention to a familiar foe in the No. 4 seed Tennessee Volunteers, who await Florida in the Quarterfinals.
The two teams split the seasons series, with the Gators winning back in late January while the Vols took the final game of the regular season — one that was rescheduled due to COVID. Tennessee spent a good deal of time in the top 25 this season, including an extended stint in the top 10. However, things fell apart a bit at the end for them, which saw them fall out of the top 25 and down in the tournament seeding.
Florida, of course, had a brutal season that included two coronavirus layoffs as well as the loss of its SEC Preseason Player of the Year Keyontae Johnson. Nevertheless, the team persevered and pulled off enough wins to earn modest seedings.
As far as NET rankings are concerned, UF currently sits at No. 31 — falling two spots despite the Vandy win — while UT stands pat at No. 18. Unsurprisingly, BetMGM has the Gators a 3.5-point underdog to the Volunteers while the over/under is set at 132.5 points ahead of game time.
Everything you need to know to follow Florida basketball vs Tennessee
Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. EST in Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, Tennessee for the third round of the SEC Tournament and will be broadcast on the ESPN, livestreamed on the ESPN app and can be heard on the Gators Sports Network.
Odds courtesy of BetMGM, The King of Sportsbooks.
Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.
Get ready for March Madness by registering in advance for USA TODAY Sports’ bracket sweepstakes. In the meantime, mobile users can play USA TODAY Sports’ Couchketball virtual hoops challenge – the interactive basketball game where your skills determine the outcome.
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