ForumsEven though Bruce Pearl is 8-1 against Billy Donovan, including a 3-1 record at the O’Dome, traveling to Gainesville to take on a team battling for its post-season life won’t be an easy task. But according to Pearl, when the Vols (20-6, 8-4) face the Gators (19-8, 8-4) tonight at 9:00 p.m. on ESPN, post-season implications won’t be anything new in this rivalry.
“They (Florida) are right there,” said Pearl. “And once again, we go back down there and we will be ranked again and it will be a game that could get them in (the NCAA Tournament) or knock them out. We’ve knocked them out the last two years. Not intentionally, but we’ve knocked them out.“
After a 63-55 road win at South Carolina on Wednesday, Tennessee is ranked in both polls — No. 19 in the AP poll and No. 17 in the ESPN/USA Today poll. The Vols enter tonight’s contest against Florida with an RPI of 15 according to realtimerpi.com.
“Obviously, we will stay ranked and our RPI will stay good,” Pearl said after his team’s victory over South Carolina. “It will be all we want. Can we continue to dominate them? Can we continue to find a way? I can tell you, we’ve got to play better and shoot it better and value the ball better. We are going to go down there and give it a shot. “
Kentucky sits atop the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference with an 11-1 league record followed by Vanderbilt at 9-3. With only four conference games remaining, Tennessee and Florida, both 8-4, are left battling for the third spot.
“Florida is right there now,” said Pearl. “You’ve got Kentucky and Vanderbilt, they are kind of out there a little, but us and Florida are really battling for that third spot in the league right now. That game right there is for that position.”
TENNESSEE vs. FLORIDA ROUND I
Earlier this year, Tennessee trailed Florida by one point with just 25 seconds to play. After a Bruce Pearl timeout, Scotty Hopson drained a long basket just inside the three-point line that gave then No. 14 Tennessee a 61-60 victory over the Gators in Knoxville.
If Tennessee hopes to sweep the season series, the Vols will need to keep Florida forwards Alex Tyus and Chandler Parsons in check. In the first meeting, the two combined for 32 points and 15 rebounds on 12-17 shooting. No other Gator scored in double digits.
NEW STARTING LINEUP?
Pearl has experimented with his starting lineup and substitution pattern on several occasions this year. Through 26 games this season, the Vols have used seven different starting lineups — a number that may continue to grow.
“I’m not sure about the starting lineup,” Pearl said. I’m not sure about the rotations because I’ve got to look back and see how we started.”
“That lineup of Melvin and Bobby out there together with J.P. at the four, I don’t see that as being something that’s got a lot of legs to it,” Pearl added.
TENNESSEE TIES RECORD FOR 20-WIN SEASONS
The victory over South Carolina earlier this week gave Tennessee its 20th win of the 2010 season. For Bruce Pearl, it marks his fifth consecutive 20-win season since arriving in Knoxville, matching Don DeVoe’s streak from 1981-85.
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