ChompTalk.com

The Florida Gators (11-6) headed into Knoxville fresh off a dominant performance against Arkansas, their first win in SEC play. However, the No. 6 ranked team in the nation, the Tennessee Volunteers (13-4) were on their A-game Tuesday, knocking off UF 85-66.

The Volunteers came out strong out of the gate and put it on the Gators, holding a lead as large as 22 points in the second half. Florida did not lead at all during the contest.

The Gators seemingly had no answer for last week’s SEC Co-Player of the Week, senior guard Dalton Knecht. Knecht dropped a season-high 39 points on 13-23 shooting, making it his second straight game amassing 35-plus points.

Also for the Volunteers, junior forward Jonas Aidoo added 19 points to go along with 9 rebounds. No other Tennessee players reached double-digits, but Knecht and Aidoo nearly outscored the Gators on their own.

Where Tennessee really dominated the Gators, however, was on the defensive end. The Volunteers are KenPom’s fourth ranked defensive team in the nation, and their dominant defensive performance Tuesday showed why.

Smothered by the Volunteers, Florida shot a measly 20-67 from the field, as well as 5-22 from beyond the arc. Even the Gators’ go-to scorers were off target, as junior guard Walter Clayton Jr. led UF with 18 points while shooting 6-18.

The Gators had three other players reach double-digits with guard Riley Kugel (12), guard Zion Pullin (11), and forward Tyrese Samuel (10). However, all three shot under 50% from the field.

Meanwhile, Tennessee as a team shot almost 52% from the field all together, and also had a whopping 17 assists in the contest compared to the Gators’ seven.

For Florida, the loss marks its third loss in four SEC contests, placing them near the bottom of the standings in the ultra-competitive conference. An even more alarming fact is that in all three SEC losses, the Gators have given up 85 or more points, including the 103 they surrendered to Mississippi last Wednesday.

Now the spotlight is on Todd Golden and the Gators to improve, and they have a chance to do so on the road Saturday against the Missouri Tigers, who themselves are winless in SEC play.