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Tre Mann caught fire. When his fourth three-pointer in a row found nylon with 2:40 to play on Friday, the whole arena knew, too. He had a career-high 30 points, 17 of which in the previous five and a half minutes, as he looked up at the scoreboard.

Florida trailed by 12.

The Gainesville native’s superhuman performance wasn’t enough as the Gators fell, 78-66, to Tennnessee for the second time in six days to end their SEC Tournament run.

Tennessee’s game plan was devastatingly simple and brutally effective.

Step one: Limit Mann. The Florida point guard, a day removed from a 22-point, seven rebound, six assist show against Vanderbilt, didn’t score until the final three minutes of the first half. Tennessee’s guards, the 6-foot-4 Jaden Springer and 6-foot-5 Keon Johnson, matched Mann’s size and gave him no open looks or clear lanes to the basket.

Mann broke loose and caught fire in the second half with 28 points to reach 30, his fifth game in a row with at least 19, but it was too little, too late. Especially when only one Gator scored more than six points.

Step two: Establish themselves inside. Tennessee’s interior offense and defense were both head and shoulders above Florida’s. Tennessee scored 34 points in the paint to the Gators 18, but it the defense shifted the game the most.

The Volunteers blocked 11 shots Saturday, including an outstanding nine from senior forward Yves Pons. No Florida forward scored more than six points, including a meek four from standout junior transfer Colin Castleton. Castleton, Omar Payne and Anthony Duruji, Florida’s three prominent forwards, scored just nine points between the three of them on 4-11 shooting.

Step three: Spread the ball and Florida’s defense around to create open looks. On a day only Mann could score for the Gators, the Volunteers authored a complete team effort. The team combined for 21 assists, tripling Florida’s seven, as five Tennessee players amassed double-digit points and two more had at least seven. With quick passes and a balanced attack, one Volunteer seemed destined to be lost in the shuffle every possession, unnoticed until he had a ball and an open shot.

When all three of those steps work as harmoniously as they did Saturday, at least for the first half, Tennessee becomes virtually unbeatable, especially against a one-man army like Mann.

The Volunteers move on to challenge Alabama tomorrow in the conference semifinals, leaving the Gators to twiddle their thumbs until March Madness.