No. 5 Florida at No. 8 Tennessee (Saturday, noon)

No. 5 Florida at No. 8 Tennessee

* When: Saturday, noon (ET)
* Where: Thompson-Boling Arena / Knoxville, Tenn.
* Records: Florida (18-2, 5-2) / Tennessee (17-4, 4-4)
* TV: ESPN (Tom Hart and Dane Bradshaw)
* Radio: Gator Sports Network from LEARFIELD / Stations list
(with Sean Kelley, Lee Humphrey and Steve Egan)
* Ticket info

Projected Starters

Florida	Position	Height / Weight	Class	Statistics
Alex Condon	F	6-11 / 230	Sophomore	10.6 pts / 8.2 reb
Rueben Chinyelu	C	6-10 / 255	Sophomore	5.4 pts / 7.1 reb
Will Richard	G	6-4 / 206	Senior	13.6 pts / 4.9 reb
Alijah Martin	G	6-2 / 195	Graduate	16.1 pts / 5.2 reb
Walter Clayton Jr.	G	6-2 / 195	Senior	17.8 pts / 3.4 reb / 3.9 ast

Tennessee	Position	Height / Weight	Class	Statistics
Igor Milicic	F	6-10 / 225	Senior	10.4 pts / 8.1 reb
Felix Okpara	F	6-11 / 235	Junior	7.3 pts / 6.5 reb
Jahmai Mashack	G	6-4/ 202	Senior	5.9 pts / 3.8 reb
Chaz Lanier	G	6-5 / 207	Senior	17.8 pts / 3.1 reb
Zakai Zeigler	G	5-9 / 172	Senior	12.3 pts / 3.5 reb / 7.4 ast

The Breakdown

Thompson-Bolling Arena (capacity 21,678)

SETUP: Fifth-ranked Florida travels to eighth-ranked Tennessee for their second Southeastern Conference meeting this season. The game figures to be both heated, given the lopsided nature of their last meeting less than four weeks ago (and desperate situation of the Volunteers). UF, which is coming off its mid-week bye, had a pair of wins last week, rallying from 14 down at South Carolina for a dramatic 70-69 victory and chasing it with an 89-59 home hammering of Georgia. The Volunteers, who don't get their bye for another three weeks, have dropped two straight and three of the previous four, most recently Tuesday night's 78-73 home loss against No. 12 Kentucky. Three nights earlier they lost a 53-51 defensive slugfest at No. 1 Auburn. Florida is tied with Missouri for third place in the SEC standings, with the Vols a game and a half back in ninth place. This is the first of three rematches for UF, with UT, Georgia and South Carolina the Gators' home-and-home opponents this season, assigned by the SEC.

SERIES: Tennessee leads 81-60, with wins in seven of the last 11 meetings, as well as seven straight at home, dating to 2016. The eighth-ranked Gators, however, got the better of the No. 1 and unbeaten Vols (and then some) in their Jan. 7 meeting at Gainesville, a 73-43 massacre that was never close. In that one, UF built a 19-point lead and stayed on the gas in the second half, turning the tables on the nation's top-rated defense by holding UT to 21.4-percent shooting for the game and 4-for-29 from the 3-point line (13.8 percent). The 30-point margin was the worst loss by a team ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press poll in 57 years. Fifth-year guard Alijah Martin led all scorers with 18 points and six rebounds, with sophomore forward Alex Condon netting a double-double of 12 points and 12 rebounds. Florida shot just 39.7 for the game and went 6-for-20 from the arc (30 percent), but outscored Tennessee 40-14 in the paint and won the battel of the boards 55-38.

ETC: For Florida, this game starts the most brutal stretch of the SEC slate, what with four consecutive games against opponents ranked in this week's Top 25: at No. 8 Tennessee, home against No. 12 Vanderbilt (Feb. 4), at No. 1 Auburn (Feb. 8) and at No. 14 Mississippi State (Feb. 11). Three of those games (at least) will be Quadrant 1 opportunities (but on the road).

Tale of the Tape

Florida	Statistics	Tennessee
85.2	Scoring	75.0
.470	Field-goal percentage	.446
.342	3-point percentage	.334
65.4	Scoring defense	59.3
.378	Field-goal percentage defense	.366
.279	3-point percentage defense	.265
4th	KenPom.com overall ranking	6th
2nd	KenPom.com offensive efficiency	36th
16th	KenPom.com defensive efficiency	2nd
79th	KenPom.com adjusted tempo	335th
5th	NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) ranking	4th
46th	Overall strength of schedule ranking	16th

The Gators

In squaring off against one of the better teams in the SEC, the Gators carved up Georgia with 53-percent shooting for the game. The biggest damage, however, was done in the first half when UF shot 66.7 percent overall and hit seven of 14 shots from deep. The Gators took advantage of the Bulldogs' horrific ball-security; as in 14 turnovers that turned into 24 points and a 51-26 halftime lead. When the game was done, Florida had moved to No. 2 nationally in offensive efficiency after making 62.5 percent of its 2-point shots against a UGA defense that ranked fourth in the nation in defending the 2-point area. UF outscored UGA 44-30 in the paint. On defense, the Gators held the Bulldogs to just 35.6 percent, five of 21 from the arc and turned 18 turnovers into a 23-4 advantage in transition. Coach Todd Golden, remember, has stated he wants his offense and defense to be in the top 20 in both categories. And they're both still there.

The backcourt duo of Walter Clayton Jr. and Alijah Martin keyed the onslaught. Both scored 17 points, combining to make 14 of their 23 shots. Clayton added five assists and five steals; Martin three assists and four steals. Clayton made a 3 in his 43rd consecutive game, padding his school record. He needs just 12 points to become the 57th player in program history to reach 1,000. ... Wing Will Richard, whose driving layup with 4.8 seconds proved the game-winner at South Carolina three nights earlier (and made him the 56th Gator to hit the 1,000-point mark), had another outstanding performance, scoring 16 points, including 4-for-8 from deep against the Bulldogs. Richard is shooting 49.3 percent overall and 37.1 from 3 in SEC play. He is making 69.1 percent of his 2-point shots, which ranks 41st nationally, including 62.5 against league foes. ... Reserve point guard Denzel Aberdeen went 3-for-6 against Georgia for seven points and two assists in 21 minutes.
.
Forward Alex Condon put in six of his 10 shots on the way to 14 points, eight rebounds and four assists in the last win. "Condo" is averaging 9.3 boards a game against SEC opponents. ... Sophomore backup forward Thomas Haugh (7.6 ppg, 5.6 rpg) had his second double-double of the season, coming off the bench for 13 points, 11 rebounds and a block. Haugh leads the team in free-throw shooting in SEC play at 80.8 percent. ... Center Rueben Chinyelu missed his three field-goal tries and was limited to just one point, but had six rebounds and a couple of steals. He's at 59 percent in conference play and his 21 offensive rebounds rank second to Condon's 23 in conference games. ... Reserve forward Sam Alexis had nine solid minutes in finishing with two points, two rebounds, a block and defending well in the post.

The Volunteers

Tennessee point guard **Zakai Zeigler** (5)

This is unusual territory for Coach Rick Barnes and his program. No, the Vols won't fall too far out of the top 10, but they've already equaled their number of league losses from last year -- when UT won the SEC regular-season title -- and have dropped consecutive SEC games for the first time since 2023 and will try to avoid the first two-game home losing skid since 2020. Tennessee still plays relentlessly on the defensive end (No. 2 nationally in efficiency), but is trying to do so with eight scholarship players due to injuries (reserve forward JP Estrella is out for the season with broken foot; backup guard Cam Carr announced he was transferring over Christmas). Kentucky's 78 points Tuesday were the most given up by UT this season, as the Wildcats shot 50 percent for the game and 50 percent from the 3-point line (12 of 24). The Vols uncharacteristically attempted a staggering 45 3-pointers -- and made only 11 -- at 24.4 percent, compared to 27 attempts from the 2-point area at 51.9 percent; in a tight game, no less. That is not what they want to do, but opponents certainly will allow that, if UT opts to play that way. The Vols are 15 of 67 from deep (22.4 percent) the last two games.

Tennessee ranks 14th in SEC play in effective field-goal percentage, with its numbers dinged badly by just 44.4 percent from the 2-point area (that's next to last). The Vols are a very good offensive rebounding team (only Florida and Texas A&M rate better), but the metrics put up during their 14-0 start to the season -- and ascension to No. 1 in the polls -- have taken a dip in the first month of conference play. ... Point guard Zakai Zeigler, the reigning SEC Defensive Player of the Year, figures to be geared up for another crack and the Gators and likely assigned to mark Clayton. Zeigler, the league's assist leader, had 10 points in that meeting, but was just four of 12 from the floor, one of six from distance, with one assist and three turnovers in the first meeting. He's gone 1-for-17 from 3 the last two games, including 1-for-11 against Kentucky after leaving late in the first half with a knee injury and returning to finish the game, but clearly was not 100 percent. Zeigler was listed as "questionable" in Friday night's availability report. ... Shooting guard Chaz Lanier, the transfer from North Florida, ranks fourth in the league in scoring at 17.8 per game and seventh in 3-point percentage at 41.6, but those numbers dip to 14.9 and 34.3 in SEC play. He made just three of 16 against the Gators and only one of nine 3s. ... Forward Igor Milicic, the Charlotte transfer, had 13 points and 18 rebounds in UT's league opener against Arkansas, but a quiet eight and six in the loss at Florida. He was excellent in defeat against UK with team highs of 19 points, nine rebounds and four assists.

Guard Jahmai Mashak is a terrific defender, but backup guard Jordan Gainey (10.8 ppg, 3.2 rpg) is the team's fourth-leading scorer, plays starter's minutes at 26.5 and is a better option on offense, though his shooting numbers from deep have cratered in league play. He was at nearly 47 percent when the team came to Gainesville, but is just 10 of 37 against SEC teams (27.0 percent) so far. ... Felix Okpara, the transfer from Ohio State, is at 60.6 percent for the season, but doesn't take a bunch of shots. Backup big Cade Phillips (5.3 ppg, 3.7 rpg) has been dealing with a sore shoulder for the last month. ... Darlingstone Dubar (3.9 ppg, 2.6 rpg) is a capable backup, but he only played one minute at Auburn, despite the Vols' undermanned status. He played 17 minutes against Kentucky for seven points and four rebounds.

Numbers of Note

UF guard **Scott Wilbekin** (right) on the attack -- 11 years ago -- when the Gators last won at Knoxville.

* minus-10.4 — Average margin of defeat in Florida's seven consecutive losses at Tennessee, none of which have been one-possession games.

* 10 — Where Clayton sits in the KenPom National Player of the Year ratings. He's one of only two SEC players in that metric, alongside Auburn's Johnie Broome, who is No. 2 behind only Duke's Cooper Flagg.

* 1997 — The last year the Gators lost to a SEC opponent for an eighth straight time on the road, a twist they'll be out to prevent Saturday against the Vols. UF dropped eight in row at Kentucky from 1990 to 1997 under three different coaches: Don DeVoe, Lon Kruger and Billy Donovan, with the latter snapping the streak in '98 before losing another seven straight at Lexington.

* 2014 —The last year the Gators won at Knoxville. The date was Feb. 12. The final score was 67-58, as third-ranked UF won its 16th straight on the way to going a perfect 18-0 in SEC play, followed by a three-game sweep in the SEC Tournament at Atlanta en route to 30 straight wins and a berth in the Final Four. Senior point guard (and eventual 2014 SEC Player of the Year) Scottie Wilbekin led the way with 21 points. The Vols, down by one, had the ball inside four minutes remaining when the Gators forced forward Jeronne Maymon into his eighth turnover and sophomore guard Michael Frazier II made the home team pay with a 3-pointer. Wilbekin's late-shot clock 3 approaching two minutes remaining pushed UF's lead to seven and the Gators closed from there.

* 2017 — The last year Tennessee lost three consecutive SEC games. It was Barnes's second season and it happened twice on the way to going 16-16.

Bottom Line

Rock fight in Rocky Top.

Email Chris Harry at chrish@gators.ufl.edu

Gators Calendar

No. 5 Florida at No. 8 Tennessee (Saturday, noon)

No. 5 Florida at No. 8 Tennessee

Projected Starters

The Breakdown

Tale of the Tape

The Gators

The Volunteers

Numbers of Note

Bottom Line

Players Mentioned

Denzel Aberdeen

Sam Alexis

Rueben Chinyelu

Walter Clayton Jr.

Alex Condon

Thomas Haugh

Alijah Martin

Will Richard

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No. 5 Florida at No. 8 Tennessee (Saturday, noon)

No. 5 Florida at No. 8 Tennessee

Projected Starters

The Breakdown

Tale of the Tape

The Gators

The Volunteers

Numbers of Note

Bottom Line

Related News

Players Mentioned

Denzel Aberdeen

Sam Alexis

Rueben Chinyelu

Walter Clayton Jr.

Alex Condon

Thomas Haugh

Alijah Martin

Will Richard

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