Image Credit: UAA
An off week is supposed to rejuvenate a team. For the No. 5 Florida Gators, it appeared to sap their immense momentum. Despite visiting a No. 8 Tennessee Volunteers team missing two starters, Florida could not find a shred of offense in an immensely disappointing 64-44 defeat at the Food City Center in Knoxville, Tennessee.
It was the fewest points (44) scored by the Gators in a game since Feb. 10, 1990, when they posted 40 points at Georgetown. Hitting just 13 of 53 shots from the field (.245), Florida posted its lowest shooting percentage in readily available recorded program history dating back to the 1938-39 season. UF previously shot 25.5% against Georgia Southern on Dec. 15, 2007. Florida’s .148 mark from 3-point range was its worst this season.
The 20-point defeat marked a 50-point turnaround for UT, which lost by 30 in the first meeting back on Jan. 7 in Gainesville, Florida.
The Gators’ trio of star guards combined to go 6 for 26 from the floor. Redshirt senior point guard Walter Clayton Jr. got hurt late in the first half, and Florida was unable to find any semblance of offense in either period. Ultimately, it was one of the program’s worst losses in the three-year tenure of head coach Todd Golden.
Falling to 18-3 (5-3 SEC) after the defeat, the Gators are still off to their best start through 21 games since the 2005-06 season, but Saturday’s performance created some legitimate questions about the team’s ability to adjust when the ball is not finding the bottom of the basket.
Let’s take a look at what went down in Fastbreak Takeaways.
It was over when … a lackadaisical pass was intercepted leading to a fastbreak dunk, and an offensive rebound on the next possession was put right back into the hoop. Those consecutive baskets, plus a 3-pointer, pushed Tennessee’s advantage to 20 points with 6:14 to play on the back of a 12-2 run.
The Vols had opened a nine-point lead on a 14-2 run spanning halftime as Florida missed its first four shots of the second half. UF was just 3 of 19 in the period by the time the 9-0 run was completed in the visitors’ worst shooting performance of the season.
First half focus: Florida got off to a slow start struggling to find the bottom of the basket but nevertheless leading by four in the early going. Tennessee took advantage of a 5:45 visitor scoring drought to grab its first lead of the game after a 5-0 scoring spurt. The teams jockeyed for position over the final few minutes with the Vols ending the opening period on an 8-2 run to take a 24-21 lead into the break. The Gators had one of their worst halves of the entire season shooting 26% from the floor and 15% from downtown with 8 turnovers. This despite the hosts similarly struggling at 29% from the field and 15% from long range. UF had no rhythm and only one player who made more than two baskets.
Important injury: Clayton was Florida’s only true scorer in the first half posting 10 of the team’s 21 points, but he went down hurt late in the period, rolling his left ankle after landing on an opponent’s foot. Clayton was in immense pain and ultimately hobbled off the court with the help of trainers. While he did return at the start of the second half, it was clear Clayton was immensely limited with his movement. Slipping near UF’s own bench in the waining minutes, he aggravated the injury before the final whistle.
Exceptional efforts: No one. Clayton did not score in the second half and still finished with a team-high 10 points going 3 of 13 from the floor and 2 of 9 from 3-point range.
As bad as it gets: Redshirt senior guard Alijah Martin went 2 of 11 from the field and 2 of 9 from downtown making his last two shots of the game. Senior G Will Richard shockingly took two shots and no free throws across the entire game despite playing 33 minutes. Sophomore forwards Alex Condon and Thomas Haugh, for some reason, constantly drove the lane and attempted shots from deep. They each went 1 of 6 from the floor and combined to shoot 0 of 4 from long range. Junior F Sam Alexis was the only efficient shooter, hitting 3 of 5 shots for 6 points, but he was one of four players (Clayton, Richard, Haugh) who committed three turnovers apiece.
Odds & ends: Florida fell to 60-82 all-time against Tennessee with a 17-52 mark in Knoxville … the Gators are now 2-2 against the Vols under Golden … UF under Golden fell to 10-20 when trailing at halftime, 3-26 when trailing with 5 minutes left, 7-25 when being outshot by an opponent and 12-24 when being outshot by an opponent from 3-point range … the Gators were dominated in the paint getting outscored 34-14 down low with the Vols winning the rebounding battle 40-37
What it means: This was an awful loss for a rested Florida team on the scoreboard, but ultimately, it’s a Quadrant 1 defeat that should not matter too much in terms of the NCAA Tournament resume. Still, Tennessee was only a 1.5-point favorite at home due to being short-handed with two starters missing. While Clayton did get injured, the Gators entered at full strength. The problem was not his absence but rather UF’s other stars completely disappearing when needed the most. Florida at one point missed 14 straight attempts from downtown and had the wrong players (Condon, Haugh) taking shots while more dynamic options (Martin) hung out beyond the arc and refused to attack the hoop. Richard being completely M.I.A. despite playing nearly the entire game was flummoxing. Yes, there were officiating issues — the Gators got hacked in the paint and barely got to the line — but those had nothing to do with this defeat.
What’s next? It will be a quick turnaround for Florida after it had nearly a week of to prepare for Tennessee. UF will host upset-minded Vanderbilt on Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET in a game that will air live nationally on SEC Network.
