Rocky toppled. No. 8 Florida basketball takes down No. 1 Tennessee in SEC opener

Posted by Admin January 8, 2025 Basketball

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Florida basketball made both history and a big-time statement in its SEC home opener against No. 1 Tennessee on Tuesday night at the O’Connell Center.

Alijah Martin led three scorers in double figures with 18 points apiece as the No. 8 Florida Gators routed the No. 1 Vols 73-43, picking up its first regular-season win against a No. 1 team in program history.

Denzel Aberdeen added 16 points for UF and sophomore forward Alex Condon recorded a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds.

Before a frenzied, sellout crowd of 11,011 that included Florida football coach Billy Napier and former Florida basketball and NBA great Jason Williams, Florida took down a No. 1 team for the first time since April 2, 2007, when UF beat No. 1 Ohio State 84-75 to win the second of back-to-back national championships. UF’s only other win against a No. 1 team came against No. 1 Duke in the 2000 Sweet 16.

Florida (14-1, 1-1 SEC) bounced back from a 106-100 loss in its SEC opener at No. 7 Tennessee with a herculean defensive effort, holding the Vols to just 21.4% shooting from the floor. Tennessee went just 4 of 29 from 3-point range.

Here are three takeaways from the Florida win:

Florida basketball plays with more desperation, physicality than Vols

UF hit the floor for every loose ball, muscled up for rebounds and protected the rim.

Florida outrebounded the Vols 55-37 and outscored UT 19-4 in second-chance points. Starting center Reuben Chinyelu grabbed 15 rebounds.

Florida basketball does enough offensively against high-level Vols defense

Facing a Tennessee game that entered the matchup ranked first in the nation in KenPom defensive efficiency, the Gators played an efficient, balanced game on offense. Florida shot 39.7% from the floor, 30% from 3-point range (6-20) and posted an assist-to-turnover ratio of 14 to 11.

Florida basketball builds 19-point halftime lead with smothering defense

Florida took a 34-15 into halftime by dialing up its defensive intensity in front of the sellout home crowd. An Aberdeen 3-pointer gave Florida an early 12-0 lead as UF held Tennessee scoreless until center Felix Okpara made a pair of free throws at the 13:19 mark of the first half.

From there, Florida maintained its double-digit lead. UF leading scorer Walter Clayton Jr. picked up two first-half fouls but still played 16 minutes and dished four assists. Aberdeen picked up the slack with Clayton on the bench, scoring 10 first half points and Condon was tough inside with 8 points and 9 rebounds.

Florida outscored Tennessee 12-0 in fast break points in the first half, generating six points off turnovers. The Gators held Tennessee to just 14.3% shooting in the first half (4-28) and the Vols went 0-14 from 3-point range.

Kevin Brockway is The Gainesville Sun’s Florida beat writer. Contact him at kbrockway@gannett.com. Follow him on X @KevinBrockwayG1