At the Buzzer: Vanderbilt 87, Florida 74 (Instant Analysis)

AT THE BUZZER
VANDERBILT 87, FLORIDA 74

WHAT HAPPENED: A crushing loss, that's what. The Commodores, on the fringe (at best) of any NCAA Tournament hopes, played like the desparate team they needed to be by jumping on the Gators from the opening tip and never trailing on the way to the program's first win at the O'Connell Center since 2010. Vandy center Damian Jones was unstoppable, hitting 12 of 13 shots and finishing with a career-high 27 points and seven rebounds. He helped the Commodores finish at 57.7 percent from the floor and 10-for-20 from the 3-point line -- including an 80-footer at the halftime buzzer -- and hanging a season-high 87 on UF's defense. Forward Justin Leon came off the bench to lead the Gators with 15 points, while center John Egbunu had 14 points. Senior forward Dorian Finney-Smith was held to just seven on 1-for-7 shooting.

WHAT IT MEANS: A second straight home conference loss and it really, really stings. UF and Vandy began the day tied for fifth place in the SEC. No more. The Commodores moved into a tie for third, while the Gators fell a game back and now sit alone in fifth place, with a chance to be joined there by both Georgia and Ole Miss by Wednesday. Odds are Florida is now playing for seeding in the Thursday round of the SEC Tournament. Beyond that, the Gators will take a tumble in all NCAA Tournament bracket projections -- unfortunately, probably right on the cusp of in vs. out.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Jones, Vandy's best player, looked like Shaquille O'Neal out there. The Gators had absolutely no answer for him in the post. Meanwhile, one of Florida's best players, freshman guard KeVaughn Allen, was held without a field goal by one of the best defenses in the country. He finished 0-for-7 from the floor.

STAGGERING STATISTIC: Vanderbilt's 57.7-percent shooting was the best against Florida this season, eclipsing the 51.7 afternoon Kentucky had at Rupp Arena earlier this month. The Commodores were just the third team to hit at least 50 percent against the Gators this season. Aside from UK, Purdue was good for 50 percent back in November.

UP NEXT: The Gators (17-11, 8-7) will play their third SEC road game in the last four when they go to LSU (16-12, 9-6), which lost Tuesday at Arkansas and continued on its tailspin. Florida-LSU will be another potential NCAA bubble buster among conference teams.

Gators Calendar

At the Buzzer: Vanderbilt 87, Florida 74 (Instant Analysis)

Players Mentioned

KeVaughn Allen

John Egbunu

Dorian Finney-Smith

Justin Leon

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