Florida Gators vs. Tennessee: Preview, Info, Where to Watch and More

Photo: Todd Golden; Credit: Zach Goodall

All roads point to March.

Officially entering the closing stretch of the college basketball season, as the calendar rolls into February, the Florida Gators (12-9; 5-3 SEC) are amid a grueling stretch of contests.

They're freshly removed from a sizable loss on the road to then-No. 5 Kansas State as part of the SEC/Big 12 challenge with two AP top 5 opponents and a trip to Rupp Arena (Kentucky) on the horizon. Welcoming the No. 2 Tennessee Volunteers (18-3; 7-1 SEC) to Gainesville on Wednesday, Florida will have their hands full as it looks to steal a win to bolster its resume for a potential March Madness bid.

You can find everything you need to know about the matchup below.

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Florida Gators vs. No. 2 Tennessee Volunteers

Where: Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center, Gainesville, Fla.

When: Wednesday, Feb. 1 at 7 p.m. EST

Watch: ESPN2

Radio: Gator Sports Network from LEARFIELD / SiriusXM 386 / SXM App 976

Odds: Florida is a 5-point underdog to Tennessee, according to the Sports Illustrated Sportsbook. The over/under is set at 132 points.

Series history: Florida is 58-80 in the all-time series against Tennessee. In the last meeting between the two programs on Jan. 26, 2022, the Volunteers fended off a Colin Castleton-less Gators squad to reign victorious, 78-71, in Knoxville, Tenn.

Important stories

The rundown

Two top ten defenses (Tennessee No. 1, Florida No. 8) in adjusted efficiency are scheduled to square off in the Stephen C. O'Connell Center on Wednesday evening.

The Gators have the ability to slow the Volunteers 33rd ranked offense (AdjO) given the defensive excellence they've displayed in the half court this season — as well as continuous growth in transition.

Florida will have to the ball when guards Zakai Zeigler and Santiago Vescovi make their way up the court to limit early shot attempts or a discombobulated rotation that result in easy points.

On the other end, the task is daunting for the nation's 147th-rated offense in adjusted efficiency, especially when accounting for the unit posting its second sub-20 point first half (12 at Texas A&M) against Kansas State (16) on Saturday.

Golden stressed the importance of getting Colin Castleton involved early and often to find a rhythm on the offensive end. He will work against 7-foot-1 center Uros Plavsic while likely commanding early double teams inside as the Vols look to steal possessions from Florida.

When those come, the Gators' big man will look to facilitate — an undervalued aspect of his game — to open shooters along the perimeter. They'll be forced to knock those shot attempts down at a higher clip than usual to compete with No. 2.

Kowacie Reeves Jr., Will Richard and Myreon Jones will be major factors in UF's success as they'll be dared to connect from downtown to beat Tennessee.

Shooting at just a 26.8% clip from three against power six opponents, that game plan bodes in the Volunteers' favor.

Given the stylistic similarities between the two teams — using elite defense to propel them forward this season — expect this game to be a low-scoring affair with the likelihood that the under hits on the 132-point total.

Florida's shown the ability to beat the teams it's supposed to this season but has struggled to produce against the upper echelon of college basketball.

On Wednesday, in the comfort of Exactech Arena, the Gators get another Quad I win opportunity to begin overcoming the 1-7 record it currently holds in such games.

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