Gators Out to Black Out Last Meeting vs Vols

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The subject put to members of the Florida basketball team was its game against Tennessee. No, not Saturday's late-afternoon, sold-out showdown at Exactech Arena, mind you, but the one the two teams played Jan. 6, 2016 in Knoxville, Tenn.

Or, to be more accurate, the game one team played.

"I don't really remember what happened," junior center John Egbunu said, opting out of the discussion.

Senior forward Justin Leon: "We didn't have the right mindset when we played them. That's why the scoreboard ended up like it was."

Sophomore guard Chris Chiozza was far less diplomatic about that 83-69 defeat that saw the Gators down by 23 at halftime — by as many as 30 in the second half — and marked the low point of Coach Mike White's two seasons at UF.

"We got our [butts] kicked," he said. "It was embarrassing."

Which brings us to Jan. 7, 2017. The 24th-ranked Gators (11-3, 2-0), winners of four straight and off to a nice start in Southeastern Conference play, will face the Volunteers (8-6, 1-1) for the first time since that beatdown a year ago. Take note that UT has the same record it had after that game, which turned out to be (far and away) its finest performance of a season the Volunteers finished at 14-17 overall and 12th in the league standings at 6-12. And note, also, that these Vols come with a blueprint very similar to the one of a year ago; they look smallish, with only one starter over 6-foot-5 (and one player over 6-7), but they pack quite the punch when it comes to relentlessness, especially on the glass.

"It's going to be a dog fight," White said.

And as Mark Twain famously put it, "It's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog."

[Read senior writer Chris Harry's 'Pregame Stuff' UF-Ole Miss preview here]

Let's review.

UF, having won its SEC opener over Georgia at home, went to Thompson-Boling Arena nearly 12 months ago to the day with a starting front line of the 6-11 Egbunu and the 6-8 Dorian Finney-Smith and Devin Robinson, plus 6-8 Justin Leon and 6-9 Kevarrius Hayes off the bench. Tennessee started four guards and the tallest player in its rotation was 6-7, yet the Vols had four guys grab at least seven rebounds, held the Gators to 34-percent shooting and scored 51 points in the first half. At one point, whether searching for a spark or trying to make a statement to his players, White sent walk-on Lexx Edwards into the game.

This from White afterward: "They just wiped us. They destroyed us. They were better in every facet of the game. They played harder and competed at a higher level. They were tougher, mentally and physically. They got to 90 percent of the loose balls. They did a good job shooting, passing, dribbling, scouting, the whole deal."

Sound complete enough?

Guard Robert Hubbs III, all 6-4 and 207 pounds of him, went for 12 points and nine rebounds in 32 minutes. He's back for his senior year and his energy and want-to again are the calling cards of the Vols, as his teammates feed off of it. Take freshman forward Grant Williams, for example. He's listed at 6-5, 234 pounds, but White swears there's some exaggeration to those numbers. Yet, Williams is averaging 11 points and six boards a game.

This from White Friday regarding the undersized (but not underappreciated) Volunteers.

"They're a really physical, hard-playing, competitive team; better than their record indicates. And that's not coach-speak. You can go look at their season schedule, box scores and outcomes," White said of the Vols, who lost by two at North Carolina and have five defeats (out of their six) to teams in the top 45 of the Ratings Percentage Index, including unbeaten and No. 5 Gonzaga, and Oregon, which handed fourth-ranked UCLA its lone loss. "They've played some really good teams very competitively."

Now they get another. Florida is No. 3 in RPI, but what's in a number? The Gators had some nice digits attached to them last year — on defense, especially — when they lined up against Tennessee.

This time, the circumstances are much different. Florida is at home and has sold out the O'Dome for the third time in as many games since the grand reopening of the $64.5 million renovated gem. The Rowdy Reptiles will have all day Saturday to park (and prime) at Gate 3. Who knows? Some may have shown up and braved the elements Friday night. The team will wear black uniforms for the first time in six years, with everyone in the house getting black T-shirts to complete the so-called "blackout." Now, it's up to the Gators, with a chance to go 3-0 in SEC play, to do their part.

It's an ideal scenario to show growth, maturity and (maybe above all) toughness.

"Every game for us is about the mentality we come out with," Chiozza said. "We know what happened last year. We've watched it. We're not going to have that again, not as bad as they made us look."

Gators Calendar

Gators Out to Black Out Last Meeting vs Vols

Players Mentioned

Chris Chiozza

Lexx Edwards

John Egbunu

Dorian Finney-Smith

Kevarrius Hayes

Justin Leon

Devin Robinson

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