When the ball was tipped for a matinee matchup in Knoxville, the home squad was without two of its key starters in senior guard Zakai Zeigler (knee) and senior forward Igor Milicic (illness). However, it proved to have little impact on Tennessee’s success.
Not even a month ago, it was Florida that notched a 30-point home victory to kickstart the season series. In the regular-season series finale, the roles were nearly reversed.
Behind a quiet day offensively from the No. 5 Gators (18-3, 5-3 SEC), UF fell to No. 8 Tennessee (18-4, 5-4 SEC) 64-44 inside Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center on Saturday.
Senior guard Walter Clayton Jr. led all Florida scorers with 10 points (all coming in the first half), though it should be noted the senior guard suffered a lower-body injury with under two minutes left in the first half that saw him head to the locker room before halftime.
That’s all the former Iona transfer would tally in the scoring column despite returning for the second half, with little help coming behind him. UF’s next leading scorer was junior guard Denzel Aberdeen, who came off the bench to score eight points on 6-of-8 shooting from the charity stripe. Senior guard Alijah Martin, junior forward Sam Alexis and sophomore forward Thomas Haugh tallied six points each on a combined 6-of-24 shooting from the floor.
Clayton Jr. carried the load offensively in the opening minutes for the Gators. The senior guard knocked down a pair of free throws just over two minutes in to open the scoring and buried a 3-pointer at the 16:23 mark of the first half that helped UF grab a 6-2 lead.
With Clayton Jr. and starting sophomore forward Alex Condon being the only two Gators that tallied points in the first seven minutes, it was Alexis who provided a spark off the bench.
The Chattanooga transfer scored four points in less than one minute on back-to-back smooth moves (and finishes) in the low post that allowed Florida to extend its lead to 13-9 with just over 12 minutes remaining in the first half.
Near the midway point of the opening period, it was seemingly a defensive slugfest. UT started 5-of-18 from the field (28%) and 0-of-7 from 3-point range, though the Gators didn’t exactly come out firing either. Florida opened 4-of-13 from the floor, and a nearly four-minute scoring drought helped the Volunteers take their first lead of the game, 14-13, with 8:09 left in the first half.
Much like it has all season when Florida needed it the most, UF’s backcourt responded (for the time being). Clayton Jr. made a driving floater and senior guard Will Richard scored his first two points of the game on a fast break layup that allowed Florida to regain a 17-14 advantage.
However, Tennessee ripped off an 8-2 run down the stretch of the first half, capped off by a 2-point bucket and a free throw by sophomore forward Cade Phillips that allowed the Vols to take a narrow 24-21 lead into halftime.
In the second half, Tennessee heated up en route to shooting 4-of-9 from 3-point range and 51.7% from the field in the final 20 minutes of action. The Vols ripped off a 6-0 run in less than two minutes out of the half, capped off by a two-point jumper by senior guard Jordan Gainey that extended UT’s lead to 30-21.
The Vols lead grew as large as 21 at the 5:39 mark of the second half, when senior guard Chaz Lanier buried one of his five 3-pointers on the day.
UF’s offense has been one of the most efficient in the nation this season, according to KenPom, but it was a cold shooting day for the Gators (and an impressive effort from UT’s defense). Florida shot under 30% from the field and just under 15% from 3-point range, while all three of its prolific starting guards finished below their season average scoring marks.
Florida was solid on the defensive end, holding the Vols to 24-of-60 from the field (40%) and just 6-of-22 (27%) from distance. Despite the Vols being without Zeigler and Milicic, their offense still found a way to be productive. Lanier and Gainey recorded 19 points and 16 points, respectively, to lead all scorers.
Next, Florida will look to get back to its winning ways when the Gators return to the Stephen C. O’Connell Center to take on No. 24 Vanderbilt. Tip-off from the O’Dome is set for Tuesday at 7 p.m.
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.
