Gators looking for marquee win over No. 2 Tennessee

The Florida Gators take on the No. 2 Tennessee Volunteers on Wednesday night in Stephen C. O’Connell Center.

The Volunteers lead the series 80-50, but the Gators have the 36-25 edge when playing in Gainesville.

Florida will be looking for its sixth all-time win against a top-2 opponent. The Gators got their biggest win of the 2022-23 campaign over No. 2 Auburn in Gainesville.

UF is in arguably its toughest stretch of the season, and this game marks the first time the Gators will have faced top-5 teams in back-to-back games since 1968.

“That’s part of being in the SEC,” UF head coach Todd Golden said. “You’re going to have some tough ones. Honestly, our group has been awesome. I think the one disappointment in the Kansas State game was I thought we were a little timid at the beginning of the game, both offensively and defensively and getting back in transition. It was a great environment, top five team in the country.

“You know, I felt like going into the game we were confident. I felt we were going to compete a little bit better than we did. So, going into this game tomorrow night, that’s the hope. We won five out of six, didn’t play our best on Saturday. Are we going to allow that to bleed into this game or are we going to realize another great opportunity for us on our home floor, getting a top one or two team in the country to come into here. I think our guys will respond the right way.”

A win on Wednesday night would be significant for Florida’s NCAA Tournament hopes as the team teeters on the bubble. The Vols come into the matchup as a 1-seed in the tournament according to ESPN’s Joe Lunardi.

Tennessee’s players to watch

Rick Barnes and his staff can rely on multiple players to score as the Volunteers have nearly all five starters averaging double digits.

Having veteran leadership with players like Santiago Vescovi and Josiah-Jordan James alongside other playmakers is what makes this team so dangerous.

“The biggest challenge for us tomorrow, we have to keep them in front of us,” Golden said Tuesday. “They do a good job of taking advantage of their size and physicality. They duck in a lot around the rim. We’ve got to take away those easy catches. We’re going to probably put them in a spot where they have to make some threes, which if they do you’ve got to tip your hat a bit. You can’t take away everything. We’ve got to fight to keep them off the glass. That’s going to be a big challenge for us. 

“They’re one of the best offensive rebounding teams in the country. Our first shot defense for most of the year has been pretty good. Tomorrow night we’ve got to make sure our first shot defense turns into transition for us on the offensive end as opposed to second and third chance opportunities for them.”

Zakai Zeigler is a do-it-all guard as he’s averaging 11.2 points while leading the Vols with an average 5.1 assists and 2.3 steals.

Julian Phillips, Olivier Zkamhoua and James each get roughly five rebounds a game to provide a wall around the rim.

How the Gators get it done

This game is going to come down to which offense can find enough scoring opportunities as both defenses are playing at an elite level.

The Gators are slated as the No. 8 team in the country in defensive efficiency according to KenPom. However, it’s the Volunteers who have the edge as the nation’s top team in defensive efficiency.

With Alex Fudge getting back into the rotation, Florida can do a lot more with its offense. It can also rely on him to be active on the glass, which the Gators will have to win the rebound battle in order to win this one.

Having this one at home is a major advantage for UF. The Gators simply shoot better when playing in the O’Connell Center.

Florida will have to play at a high level for 40 minutes. It can’t have a slow start or any scoring droughts, or Tennessee will head back to Knoxville with another tally in the win column.

Stay tuned to Gators Online.

WHO: No. 2 Tennessee Volunteers (18-3, 7-1 SEC) at Florida Gators (12-9, 5-3 SEC)

WHEN: Wednesday, February 1, 7 p.m. ET

WHERE: Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center (10,151)

WATCH: ESPN2 or ESPN App; Play-by-Play: Kevin Fitzgerald; Analyst: Jimmy Dykes

RADIO: Gator Sports network from LEARFIELD; Sirius XM 386 or SXM App 976; Play-by-Play: Sean Kelley; Analyst: Mark Wise

BETTING LINES: Tennessee (-5.5); Over/Under: 132