Final: Tennessee 78, Florida 71
Wednesday, January 26, 2022 | Men's Basketball, Chris Harry
AT THE BUZZER
No. 18 TENNESSEE 78, FLORIDA 71
No. 18 TENNESSEE 78, FLORIDA 71
WHAT HAPPENED: Junior guard Santiago Vescovi equaled his career high with 23 points, including five 3-pointers, and the 18th-ranked Volunteers took advantage of an undermanned, undersized and worn-down UF squad with a come-from-behind victory Wednesday night at Thompson-Boling Center. Already without 6-11 forward Colin Castleton (shoulder), the team's leading scorer, rebounder and rim protector, as well as backup forward CJ Felder (non-COVID illness), the Gators lost 6-11, 285-pound junior center Jason Jitobh with just over two minutes remaining in the first half when Jitoboh, playing the best basketball of his career, took a hand to the face from UT 7-foot center Uros Plavsic and dropped to the floor. He was tended to by trainers, helped to the locker room and did not return. The Gators were up double-digits at the time, on their way to 52-percent shooting in the first half, with seven 3-pointers, and led 42-34 at the half. It was an admirable first 20 minutes for the visitors, who were playing their third Southeastern Conference game in five days -- and second on the road in less than 48 hours -- due to a Monday game at Ole Miss that was rescheduled after being canceled Dec. 29 due to COVID. Florida had a 10-point lead early in the second half, but a 14-5 run by UT made it a one-possession game inside 12 minutes to go. Another run of nine straight points gave the Vols their first lead since three minutes into the game and they never gave it back. Florida, after a first half of excellent shooting and just three turnovers, shot just 35.5 percent in the second half and gave it away nine times. The Gators were led by Anthony Duruji's 16 points and six rebounds, plus 16 points and seven assists from Tyree Appleby. Though Felder tried to go (he managed just three second-half minutes), UF was forced to play mostly small, with Duruji at the "5," with some reps from 6-9, 175-pound junior-college transfer Toungthach Gatkek (2 points, 4 rebounds, 2 blocks in 12 minutes).
WHAT IT MEANS: A second loss on the SEC road in 48 hours. The outcome, with Castleton and Felder already sidelined for a second straight game, wasn't totally unexpected, especially given the venue, as the Gators were playing in a place they'd not won in seven years. But losing Jitoboh, as well? Oh well. UF dropped to 1-5 in Quadrant-1 games, per the NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) rating system and, after tumbling 11 spots following the loss at Ole Miss can expect to drop some more. Florida has lost three straight to Tennessee, including six in a row on the road.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Minus Castleton, Felder, Jitoboh and, of course, Keyontae Johnson, the Gators basically are playing with eight scholarship players. The fact they stuck around against a very deep and aggressive ranked opponent armed with the the No. 5-rated defense in the country was admirable, but that doesn't help much when it comes to building a postseason resume.
STAGGERING STATISTIC: Castleton, Felder and Jitobh have combined to average 24.4 points and 14.5 rebounds per game this season. That's a significant chunk to scratch from the lineup, especially during the third leg of a run of four games over eight days.
UP NEXT: Florida (12-8, 3-3) will be home Saturday afternoon for that fourth game in eight days, this time stepping out of conference to host Oklahoma State (10-8, 3-4) in the annual SEC Big 12 Challenge. The Cowboys, who last week shocked reigning NCAA champion Baylor on the road, take on No. 23 Iowa State later Wednesday night.
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