Florida had a decision to make. Make history and become the first UF men’s basketball team to knock off a top-ranked team in the nation at home. Or fall to 0-2 in SEC play with a brutal schedule ahead.
The Gators entered Tuesday night just 2-17 all-time against No. 1 teams, including 0-5 at home. And this top-ranked team was no slouch. The Volunteers ranked No. 1 in defensive efficiency, according to KenPom, No. 2 in effective field-goal percentage and No. 1 in 3-point percentage (24%).
In front of a sold out crowd for its SEC home opener, the No. 8 Gators (14-1, 1-1 SEC) answered the bell, defeating unbeaten and No. 1-ranked Tennessee (14-1, 1-1 SEC) 73-43 at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center Tuesday.
“I thought tonight we played with mental and physical toughness for 40 minutes," Florida head coach Todd Golden said. “Top to bottom, I thought all eight guys that played answered the bell. We obviously guarded incredibly well tonight.”
It was a quiet night for UF senior guard Walter Clayton Jr., who entered as Florida’s leading scorer with over 18 points per game. He was held to just seven points on 3-of-10 shooting from the field and 1-of-6 from long range. Though, it should be noted that Clayton Jr. was consistently guarded by the 2023 SEC Defensive Player of The Year, senior guard Zakai Zeigler.
However, picking up the scoring slack were fellow junior and senior guards Denzel Aberdeen and Alijah Martin.
Aberdeen finished with a season-high 16 points off the bench and Martin tallied a game-high 18. Sophomore forward Alex Condon rounded out Florida’s leading scorers, posting 12 points and 12 rebounds in a double-double performance.
“[Aberdeen] is super important to us,” Golden said. “Obviously, [he] isn’t starting, but he’s the only other perimeter that’s getting consistent minutes and when he plays well we’re really really good… [Aberdeen] just had some really big moments that allowed us to continue to build the lead.”
The opening minutes were telling of what was to come for Tennessee’s offense. The Vols opened 0-of-9 from the field, while three different players scored the first six points for UF – all of which came from inside Tennessee's paint.
The atmosphere was hostile at the O’Dome and erupted when Florida senior guard Alijah Martin finished an and-one layup that gave the Gators an 9-0 lead fresh out of the first under-16 media timeout.
Tennessee's first points didn’t come until junior forward Felix Okpara made a pair of free throws to cut UF’s lead to 12-2 with 13:19 remaining before halftime. However, the Gators had offensive struggles of their own midway through the first period in an 0-for-8 shooting skid that left Florida scoreless for three-plus minutes.
That was until UF junior guard Denzel Aberdeen splashed a 3-pointer from the right wing which kickstarted an 8-2 run for the Gators that pushed their lead back to double digits at 20-8 with 9:04 left in the opening period.
“If [Clayton Jr.] goes down, I know [Condon] and them are going to pick it up,” Aberdeen said. “We’ve just got a great overall team from guards to bigs, so I know each game we [are] going to pick each other up.”
Florida closed out the first half on a 10-1 run and took a 34-15 lead into the break. Aberdeen led all scorers in the first half with 10 points.
From there, the Gators cruised to the finish line, ripping off a 9-0 run before the second half under-16 timeout that forced UT to take a timeout with 16:29 remaining in the game. Florida held a comfortable 43-18 lead following a dunk by Martin. The Volunteers mustered a late 7-0 run with just over four minutes left in regulation, but it was too little, too late.
As good as Tennessee’s defense has been this season, Florida’s defensive efforts stole the show. UF was aggressive, but sound. The Gators held the Volunteers to 12-of-56 from the field (21%) and 4-of-29 from distance (14%) while turning over UT 12 times.
“I think we just brought the physicality tonight," Condon said. “They’re a very physical team and the refs let it go tonight. So I think [physicality] is going to be the key part for us to win.”
Offensively, things were not as high-flying as they had been for Florida this season, but it was enough given it’s stout defense. Florida shot 27-of-68 from the field (40%) and 6-of-20 from 3-point range, but the biggest takeaway may have been its efficiency at the free throw line (13-of-17) and points inside the paint (40).
The Gators won’t have time to get full of themselves. Next, Florida will take on Arkansas on the road, with tip-off in Fayetteville scheduled for 4 p.m on Saturday.
Contact Max Tucker at mtucker@alligator.org. Follow him on X @Max_Tuckr1.
Max Tucker is a senior transfer student at UF. After obtaining his A.A. in Journalism from Santa Fe College in 2023, he chose to further his education at Florida's College of Journalism and Communications. Max is currently pursuing his Bachelor of Science in Journalism with a specialization in sports and media. He enjoys golfing and going to the beach with his friends in his free time.
