Now in back to back games, Tennessee has handled the Florida Gators. Obviously, today’s win carries much more weight than Sunday’s. The Volunteers advanced to the SEC semifinals today with a 78-66 win over Florida.
The story of the first half was the Tennessee defense — and more particularly Yves Pons. Just days after beating the Gators in Knoxville, Tennessee offered more of the same to open this game. The Vols were stingy and locked in on the defensive end, something that has largely been missing for the last month of the season. Florida’s half-court looks were generating nothing as the Volunteers forced multiple shot clock violations.