There’s more on the line for the Gators tonight than just a chance to break a rival’s recent streak of dominance over them.
Florida (19-8, 8-4 Southeastern Conference) will take on Tennessee (20-6, 8-4 SEC) at 9 in the O’Connell Center with both teams looking to secure an NCAA Tournament berth.
UT has won 11 of the last 14 against UF, including six straight. Only one player on the Gators’ roster, senior forward Dan Werner, has been on a team that beat the Volunteers.
“With the situation we’re in, it’ll be important,” junior forward Chandler Parsons said. “Obviously I want to beat those guys, and we feel like we let one slip away last time we played them. We’ve got them on our home court with everything on the line, so it’s gonna be a different story.”
In addition to the recent losing streak and postseason implications, UF will have another motive tonight: avenging its loss earlier this season in Knoxville. The Gators kept it close throughout but fell 61-60 on a jumper by Scotty Hopson with 21 seconds to go.
Junior power forward Alex Tyus had a chance to give UF another close win, but his short jumper rimmed out with less than five seconds remaining.
“It hurt. We’ve been on both sides, though,” Parsons said. “We’ve had some crazy wins and we’ve had some tough losses, so you can’t really complain about that. It’s not one shot that wins or loses the game.”
UF coach Billy Donovan said the Volunteers have changed quite a bit since the teams’ first matchup, making it even more important for the Gators to put the loss behind them.
“Right now, our guys understand what goes into winning,” Donovan said. “I think anything that’s happened in the past is really in the past. It has nothing to do with going into this game.”
Brian Williams, the 6-foot-10, 278-pound backup center, returned to the Volunteers after serving a suspension for his Jan. 1 arrest. Vols coach Bruce Pearl has also experimented with his team by moving guard J.P. Prince to the power forward spot in a smaller, quicker lineup.
For UF to get its first win against UT since Feb. 3, 2007, Parsons pointed to four areas in which the team needs to improve: transition defense, rebounding, turnovers and inbounds plays.
The Volunteers scored 13 fast-break points, outrebounded the Gators 27-12 after halftime, forced 17 turnovers and scored several easy points on under-the-basket inbounds plays in their first matchup.
“We know those guys aren’t going to come in here and lay down for us,” Parsons said. “They’re in the same situation as us. They’re 8-4; we’re 8-4. This game means a lot to them, too. It’s just going to be about who has the will to win.”
Florida has had that will lately, winning six of its last seven by eight points or fewer and — overcoming poor outside-shooting performances in most of them. The Gators are 11th in the SEC in three-point percentage in conference play, hitting just 30.3 percent from beyond the arc.
“You don’t shoot great every night. It’s really about the things you can control,” Donovan said. “That’s where the focus should be placed, and that’s where the pressure needs to be placed.”
