Gainesville, Fla. – Tennessee is still searching for its first true road win after an ugly 91-67 loss at Florida.
The Gators exploited the Vols’ turnovers, punished their help-heavy defensive game plan with timely threes, and targeted Tennessee’s bigs in the half-court to pull away in a humbling SEC defeat. Tennessee now heads back to the drawing board after a disappointing night in Gainesville.
Florida won the night’s margins, turning Tennessee mistakes into transition points while also creating clean looks from deep and favorable matchups in the half-court.
Here are three takeaways from the performance.
Tennessee Turnovers Trigger Transition
Tennessee never consistently slowed Florida’s tempo. The Gators’ defense and length disrupted the Vols in the half-court, and Florida repeatedly turned Tennessee turnovers into transition chances and easy points. The Vols coughed up 18 turnovers, leading to 30 points for Florida.
Bishop Boswell endured a rough stretch handling the ball, committing six turnovers, including two on baseline out-of-bounds plays. Several of his passes were careless and off target, and the costliest came with 1:13 left in the first half. His giveaway sparked a Florida runout that ended in an Urban Klavzar three, a key play in the 10–0 surge to close the half and swing momentum to the Gators.
Paint Protection, Perimeter Price
Tennessee’s defensive plan was obvious early: the guards dug down on the catch and helped inside to counter Florida’s size. It worked at first and kept the game tight. With 12:08 left in the first half, the scheme was on full display. Perimeter help mucked up the post, and Felix Okpara capped the possession with a block on Micah Handlogten.
That approach was exposed once Florida started hitting threes. The extra help created kick-out looks, and the Gators finally made the Vols pay from the perimeter. Boogie Fland, a 19% three-point shooter entering the game, caught fire at 3-for-6 (50%) from deep. Fland controlled the game with 23 points. And it wasn’t just him. Florida, a team that typically shoots 27.7% from three (351st nationally), finished at 30%.
Screens, Switches, and Struggles
Tennessee’s frontcourt came up short in a game where size and physicality were central. Florida dominated the paint and controlled the glass, winning the offensive rebounding battle 12-6.
Even when it was not scoring in transition, Florida attacked Tennessee’s bigs in the half-court. The Gators used ball screens to force switches and isolate a Vols big man on a guard. From there, Florida created space for threes and pulled up for clean elbow jumpers when Tennessee’s bigs had to retreat.
Midway through the second half, the Gators repeatedly hunted Felix Okpara. Florida scored three straight times after switching Okpara onto Boogie Fland and Urban Klavzar, sparking a 10–1 run, putting the game out of reach.
Tennessee came to Gainesville searching for a road breakthrough and left with a clear list of fixes.
