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Tennessee basketball: Florida perfect opportunity for Vols to get on track

By Caleb Calhoun

KNOXVILLE, TN - FEBRUARY 21: Detailed view of the Tennessee Volunteers logo which is seen on a cheerleader megaphone during a game against the Florida Gators at Thompson-Boling Arena on February 21, 2018 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Tennessee won 62-57. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) *** Local Caption ***
KNOXVILLE, TN - FEBRUARY 21: Detailed view of the Tennessee Volunteers logo which is seen on a cheerleader megaphone during a game against the Florida Gators at Thompson-Boling Arena on February 21, 2018 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Tennessee won 62-57. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** /
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With Tennessee basketball’s door to the NCAA Tournament almost shut, the Volunteers have a great chance to turn things around against the Florida Gators.

It’s pretty clear Tennessee basketball has an uphill climb to just get onto the NCAA Tournament bubble. If they want to do that in the regular season, they likely have to win all three of their remaining games. That’s almost impossible with a road game against the Kentucky Wildcats on the slate.

So they have to win their two home games, against the Auburn Tigers and Florida Gators. With their backs against the wall after an 86-69 loss to the Arkansas Razorbacks, Florida at home on Saturday puts a lot of pressure on them.

Well, this is exactly where Tennessee basketball should want to be. Rick Barnes and Mike White took over the Vols and Gators respectively in 2015-2016, and it’s safe to say that Barnes has owned White.

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Barnes is 4-1 against White, and three of those four wins were by double-digits. Florida’s one win was with its Elite Eight team in 2016-2017, and they played that game in Gainesville. The Vols, meanwhile, are 3-0 against White in Knoxville.

Heading into the game, Florida is a top 40 RPI team as well. Rocky Top’s last home game against a top 50 RPI team was a 21-point thrashing of the Arkansas Razorbacks. Meanwhile, Florida is 3-4 on the road in SEC games this year. As a result, this is the perfect matchup for UT to be able to get back on track.

The Vols have a very good chance of winning this game, at least on paper. Florida is a quality opponent as a top 40 RPI team. And with a rising strength of schedule that is getting into the top 30, this win would raise eyebrows across the nation. It would also give this team the confidence boost it needs heading into the final week.

Nothing will fail to humble these guys anymore, as they have lost three of their last four. But all three were on the road, and they have been getting back into a rhythm with Jordan Bowden’s shot returning and Josiah-Jordan James getting healthy.

Everything is falling into place for this team to pull off a huge win. Even better is the fact that this game will be in front of a national audience on ESPN2. So lots of people will get a real glimpse at what Rick Barnes’ young team is capable of.

If, fully healthy, the Vols are able to put together a complete performance, they will have a lot to sell. After all, they had to change up their team in the middle of the season due to Lamonte Turner leaving and the arrivals of Santiago Vescovi and Uros Plavsic, and one of their five-star freshmen played all year with an injury, missing a few games in the process.

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Having a strong finish with all of that behind them is a great thing for Tennessee basketball to sell given where its schedule strength will be. Beating Florida for everybody to see gives them that opportunity. Given their history against Florida with Barnes and White, they are heading into Saturday’s matchup in great shape.

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