Florida 75, Tennessee 49

AT THE BUZZER
FLORIDA 75, No. 6 TENNESSEE 49

WHAT HAPPENED: The undermanned Gators pulled off a stunning upset -- a blowout, actually -- of the nation's sixth-ranked team Tuesday night, turning an across-the-board performance that was as shocking as it was one-sided. Four UF players scored in double figures, as the Gators shot 49.2 percent against the second-ranked defense in the country, despite a lineup gutted by injuries adversity. Playing without 6-foot-11 forward Colin Castleton, scratched pre-game due to an ankle injury, and still minus guard Scottie Lewis (health and safety protocols) and, obviously, forward Keyontae Johnson, the Gators overwhelmed the Volunteers, who began the night allowing opponents just 58.2 points per game and 38.5 percent shooting. Tennessee scored the game's first basket, then never led again. Florida was up by four, 18-14, when it scored seven straight points, five from junior shooting guard Noah Locke (14 points), and opened an 11-point cushion, which was where things stood at halftime. UF managed it by shooting nearly 49 percent overall against that vaunted Vols defense (just 2-for-11 from distance) and out-scoring UT 24-8 in the paint and winning the battle on the glass 26-16, including 11 offensive rebounds. And they did it with two front-liners, guard Tre Mann (12 points) and forward Anthony Duruji, in foul trouble. Instead, UF got terrific minutes from seldom-seen subs like Ques Glover, Osayi Osifo, Niels Lane and Jason Jitoboh. Out of the locker room, Tennessee scored the first two buckets of the period, but Florida didn't flinch. Not even close. The Gators ran off 12 straight to open a 20-point lead, with junior Tyree Appleby (13 points, 4 rebounds, 7 assists) and sophomore Glover (10 points) hitting 3s, and when the Vols bucked up and trimmed the margin to 11 (with the ball), it was an 13-0 run, that started with a trio of steals and Florida up by 24 with 6:23 to go. Tennessee shot jus 29 percent for the game (with 18 turnovers), including 3-for-15 from deep, with leading scorer Victor Bailey Jr. (12.3 points per game) going 1-for-12 from the floor and 0-for-6 from the arc. Forward John Fulkerson led the Vols with 15 points, but no other player scored in double figures.

Gators guard **Tyree Appleby** (22) knifes through the Volunteers for a layup during first-half action Tuesday night.

WHAT IT MEANS: Simply put, the most improbable victory of Coach Mike White's six seasons at Florida. Also, make that a second "Quadrant-1" victory for the Gators (they needed it, badly), adding to the win over LSU earlier this month. Can they bottle the effort and take it with them into the season, that's the question?

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Huge shout-out to sophomore forward Omar Payne, who had nine points, nine rebounds and blocked five shots, stepping up big-time in Castleton[s absence and giving his team a rim-protector inside. That said, Mann, Locke and Appleby were terrific as well, but the Florida reserves were the story of the game. Period. The UF bench outscored UT's subs 22-9, but the fact White could go so deep into that bench (Lane played 18 minutes, Jitoboh played 13) might be something he can take with him the rest of the season.

STAGGERING STATISTIC: After getting out-scored Saturday in the paint by 22 points and out-rebounded by 21 at Mississippi State, no one could have predicted an inside-game performance like that against an opponent as tough, physical and aggressive as Tennessee. The Gators finished with a 44-36 advantage on the glass and a whopping 42-22 margin in points in the paint.

UP NEXT: Florida (7-3, 4-3) is on the road this weekend to face Georgia (8-4, 1-4). The Bulldogs opened the SEC season with four straight losses, but snapped the skid Saturday at Ole Miss. They play host to Kentucky Wednesday night.

Gators Calendar

Players Mentioned

Tyree Appleby

Colin Castleton

Anthony Duruji

Ques Glover

Jason Jitoboh

Keyontae Johnson

Niels Lane

Scottie Lewis

Noah Locke

Tre Mann

Osayi Osifo

Omar Payne

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