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Tennessee guard Chaz Lanier has been one of the best scorers in college basketball all season for the Volunteers.
Entering Tuesday’s matchup against Florida, the fifth-year senior averaged 20.3 points per game — helping alleviate the offensive responsibilities for the best defensive team in the country.
But despite his past success, Tuesday reflected an entirely different outcome for Lanier. The Gators defense held the Southeastern Conference’s top scorer to 10 total points. As a team, Tennessee recorded just 12 made field goals the entire game.
The No. 8 Florida Gators upset the unbeaten, No. 1 Tennessee Volunteers 73-43 Tuesday night at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center.
Inside the Gators’ Instant Analysis takes a quick look at how the game unfolded.
IT WAS OVER WHEN: Tennessee never figured it out offensively despite a decent defensive effort throughout the entire contest.
The Volunteers missed their first nine shots and finally scored their first points on the charity stripe with 13 minutes left in the first half. Yet, Tennessee finished the first half with just four made field goals and trailed 34-15.
THEY STOLE THE SHOW: Gators sophomore center Alex Condon isn’t the flashiest player on Florida’s roster. Oftentimes, he’s overshadowed by the Gators’ talented backcourt. However, his efforts Tuesday night were a substantial factor towards guiding Florida to victory.
In the first half, Condon logged five rebounds, five of which were offensive boards. Twelve of the Gators’ first half points came as second chance opportunities.
The sophomore finished the contest with 12 points and 12 rebounds.
THESE STATS DON’T LIE: Florida’s defense played phenomenally, which was quite evident in the box score.
The Volunteers converted just 12 total field goals. They finished the first half 0-14 from the arc and finished the game 4-29. On the boards, Florida outrebounded Tennessee 55-38. The Gators surrendered three fastbreak points the entire game.
If you look at just the shooting splits, it tells the entire story of the contest. Tennessee shot 21% from the field and 14% from three.
THIS MATCHUP PROVED KEY: Florida’s defensive efforts as a team were undoubtedly the reason why the Gators remained dominant throughout the contest. However, a large contribution came specifically from Florida’s bench.
Tennessee’s bench tallied just two made field goals while the Gators’ bench outscored them 23-7. Florida guard Denzel Aberdeen finished the matchup with 16 points.
WHAT A PLAY: With fewer than five seconds in the shot clock, Florida senior guard Alijah Martin lost his dribble near the top left wing and struggled to recollect the ball.
Up 64-35 with 2:43 left, it didn’t matter what shot Martin took. After regaining possession, Martin swiveled and took a turnaround, fadeaway three and landed the shot in a defender’s face.
UP NEXT: The No. 8 Florida Gators travel west to play the Arkansas Razorbacks at Bud Walton Arena on Saturday. Tipoff is set for 4 p.m.
(Turn your Smart Phone horizontally or, on a computer, right-click on the image to open in a new browser to see a larger version – Or click on the Box Score link at the top)
Quality guards with experience and rebounding is what wins in college and we have both in spades. We are legitimately good. #1 seed is very achievable. Anything can happen after that!