The Official #8 Tennessee vs. #5 Florida Game Thread, 12:00 PM ET, ESPN

#1
YankeeVol

YankeeVol

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#1
#8 Tennessee Volunteers: 17-4 (4-4 SEC)
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vs.

#8 Florida Gators: 18-2 (5-2 SEC)
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GAME 22 | TENNESSEE vs. FLORIDA - Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025 | 12 p.m. ET | Knoxville, Tenn. | Food City Center (21,678)


Line: UT -3.5
O/U: 143.5

TV: ESPN / Watch
Radio: Vol Network / Listen / Live Stats
Satellite Radio: SiriusXM: 80 & 84
Online: WatchESPN.com


Floriduh Game Notes

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#2
#2
THE MATCHUP

• Tennessee's 81 wins over Florida are tied for its fourth-most versus any foe. It has 131 victories against Vanderbilt, 100 versus Georgia, 91 versus Mississippi State and an equal 81 against Auburn.
• UT is 8-3 in its last 11 matchups with Florida, dating to 2/21/18, after going 1-5 in the prior six.
• Earlier this season, Florida ended Tennessee's 14-0 start as the last undefeated team in the country with a 73-43 home win on 1/7/25. Per former UT SID David Grim, it was a reverse of 2005-06, when the Vols won, 80-76, on 1/21/06 against a Gator squad that was DI's final unbeaten at 17-0. Florida went on the win the NCAA title.
• The sides are 3-3 all-time in AP top-25 showdowns. This is the second top-10 tilt in 2024-25 after it had never happened before.
• After a 24-12 (11-7) showing that included an NCAA Tournament berth last year, Florida came in at sixth in the SEC preseason poll.
• The Gators are led by senior guard Walter Clayton Jr., a preseason First Team All-SEC pick who is averaging 17.8 ppg and 4.0 apg.
 
#3
#3
NEWS & NOTES

• Across the prior seven seasons (2017-24), the Volunteers are 26-8 (.765) in the second leg of regular season home-and-home series.
• The Gators are the fifth straight ranked team visiting Food City Center, dating to 1/4/25.
• UT is in the midst of its first-ever stretch of four straight games versus AP top-15 foes. Its lone prior four-game streak against even AP top-20 teams was last year (2/28 to 3/9). It also had four in a row versus AP top-25 squads in 2003-04 (1/20 to 1/31).
• The Vols are 6-1 all-time in home AP top-10 clashes, including 3-1 while lower ranked. They are 3-0 at Food City Center, all under Rick Barnes, with each win by nine-plus points. Those three victories are as follows: #7 Tennessee def. #4 Kentucky (71-52 on 3/2/19), #4 Tennessee def. #10 Texas (82-71 on 1/28/23) and #10 Tennessee def. #1 Alabama (68-59 on 2/15/23). UT went 3-1 in such games at Stokely Athletics Center (1-1 in Feb. 1981 and 2-0 in Jan. 1968).
• Tennessee's 42.7 eFG% defense is first in the nation, per KenPom.
• During its active 72-week streak in the AP Poll, dating to the 2021-22 preseason release, Tennessee has played just 14 of its 118 games as a lower-ranked team, posting an 8-6 record. That includes a 7-4 mark since 1/22/22, a 5-2 tally versus SEC foes and a perfect 5-0 ledger at home.
• UT is in the AP top 10 for the 10th week in a row, the sixth-longest streak in program history.
• On 1/28/25, in his 122nd outing, Zakai Zeigler became the second player to reach 1,300 points, 600 assists and 200 steals at an SEC school. Only Arkansas' Kareem Reid (1995-99) has also done so.
• Zeigler (628) is just five assists behind Mississippi State's Dee Bost (633 from 2008-12) for a top-10 spot in SEC history.
• The Volunteers' 188 victories over the last eight seasons (2017-25) rank ninth nationally. Only Gonzaga (229), Houston (225), Kansas (206), Duke (203), Purdue (198), San Diego State (191), Saint Mary's (190) and Auburn (189) own more. Liberty (187) rounds out the top 10.
 
#4
#4
TWICE AS NICE

• Chaz Lanier and Zakai Zeigler both made the John R. Wooden Award Midseason Top 25 Watch List, announced Jan. 7.
• The only other school with multiple selections among the 25 designees was Rutgers, with Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper.
• Lanier also earned three Midseason All-America honors: second-team from FOX Sports and The Athletic, plus third-team from The Sporting News.
 
#5
#5
20,000 STRONG

• In Rick Barnes' 10 seasons, Tennessee has played in front of a home crowd of at least 20,000 on 42 occasions (32-9), with 30 sellouts (23-7).
• In 2022-23, the Volunteers had five sellout crowds, at the time tying an arena single-season record.
• Tennessee well eclipsed that mark last season by selling out eight home games—including seven of nine in SEC play—good for its most ever at Food City Center. Four of those were over-capacity crowds, with the last three above 22,000.
• This season, Tennessee has already clinched six sellouts: Syracuse (12/3/24), Arkansas (1/5/25), Mississippi State (1/21/25), Kentucky (1/28/25), Florida (2/1/25) and Alabama (3/1/25).
 
#11
#11
Really need this one. Not that it matters for the SEC but for our NCAA seeding position, which is dropping right now. If Z can play at half speed we have a good chance.
 
#16
#16
Ziegler being out is not good. Someone is going to have to step up their game today. Heck, not just someone but the entire team especially Lanier! It's time to earn your keep!
 
#17
#17
Definitely going to need others to step up today. Going to suck playing 40 minutes without a PG and ZZ and his defense. If there's anything good from this means our 3pt shooting will be better today
 
#21
#21
volsarelife1 said:
Definitely going to need others to step up today. Going to suck playing 40 minutes without a PG and ZZ and his defense. If there's anything good from this means our 3pt shooting will be better today
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We might have 25 turnovers. Florida is already really good at turning teams over without them having help via us having no point guard.
 
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