FINAL: No. 8 Tennessee 64, No. 5 Florida 44

What Happened

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Senior guard Chaz Lanier scored 19 points, including five 3-pointers, and junior guard Jordan Gainey added 16 points in his first start of the season, as undermanned, injury-ravaged and eighth-ranked Tennessee suffocated fifth-ranked Florida's high-powered offense and handed the Gators a 64-44 defeat in their Southeastern Conference game Saturday at sold-out Thompson-Boling Arena.

UF, which was coming off its mid-week bye, came in averaging 85.3 points and shooting 47 percent on the season, but got held to its lowest-scoring output of the season, hitting just 24.5 percent of their field-goal attempts and going four of 27 from the 3-point line (14.8 percent). It didn't help that senior point guard and scoring leader Walter Clayton Jr. rolled his ankle late in the first half and limped through his 17 minutes in the second half. The tone of the game, however, had already been set by the Volunteers and a defense ranked No. 2 nationally in efficiency.

The loss was Florida's eighth in a row on the road in the series, dating to 2016, the Gators' longest road drought against a league opponent. For Tennessee, the win avenged the Vols' 73-43 defeat Jan. 7 at Gainesville when they were unbeaten and ranked No. 1 in the country. UT did it despite playing without starting point guard, conference assist leader and 2024 SEC Defensive Player of the Year Zakai Zeigler (out with a knee injury), as well as starting forward Igor Milicic Jr. (flu).

The Gators trailed by three at halftime -- 24-21, after their lowest-scoring period of the season -- then shot just 23 percent in the second half, including two of 14 from deep. The Vols, meanwhile, were the more aggressive, physical and efficient team in the halfcourt on the way to 51.7 percent after the break, including four of nine from the arc. They hit their first five shots out of the locker room, took the lead quickly out to double digits and never looked back.

Clayton (17.8 points per game coming in) led the Gators with 10 points, all in the first half, while fifth-year guard Alijah Martin, the team's second-leading scorer at 16.1 points, was held to just six, and senior wing Will Richard, third-leading scorer at 13.6, had two. Martin and Richard combined to go just three of 14 for the game. Richard took just two shots in his 33 minutes, a testament to the way he was being guarded in the halfcourt.

**Reserve forward Sam Alexis** (4) with a jump hook bucket in the first half, oen of just seven field goals for the Gators in their lowest-scoring half (21 points) of the season.

What it Means

The circumstances could not have been much more favorable for the Gators to topple their decade-plus Rocky Top woes, but that's why they play the games. The Vols were ready and played like a team with its back to the wall. In addition to eight straight, UF has now lost 10 of the last 11 and 15 of the last 17 at Knoxville, dating to 2006. As far as the 2024-25 season, Florida is now 3-3 in Quadrant 1 victories, per the NCAA Evaluation Tool. The Gators could really have used a resume-building win to bolster their resume in the quest for the highest NCAA Tournament seed possible, but a bunch more chances are coming.

In the Spotlight

Credit Clayton for soldiering through the second half, but clearly he was nowhere near himself, as far as cutting and his explosiveness attacking the basket. He finished three of 13 from the floor, two of nine from distance, with no assists and three turnovers in 27 minutes.

Staggering Statistic

In missing Zeigler and Milicic, the Vols were without a combined 22.7 points and 9.5 assists on average. They two occupied an average 71 of UT's 200 minutes each game. The Vols, however, played one of their best games of the season without them.

Up Next

Florida (18-3, 5-3) continues its historically difficult regular-season stretch -- four consecutive games against ranked opponents for the first time -- when No. 24 Vanderbilt (16-4, 4-3) makes a Tuesday night house call to Exactech Arena/O'Connell Center. The Commodores, with home wins over Tennessee and Kentucky, play at Oklahoma later Saturday. Tennessee (18-4, 5-4) plays host to Missouri on Wednesday.

Email senior writer Chris Harry at chrish@gators.ufl.edu

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