SEC Tournament: Three takeaways from Vols’ 78-66 win vs. Florida

In this SEC Tournament rematch from Sunday’s regular season game, Tennessee basketball had to play the No. 5 seed Florida Gators this time away from home and with Tre Mann in the lineup for UF. Oh, and the Vols lost John Fulkerson to injury early in the second half after an incredible double-cheap shot to the head from Omar Payne, which got Payne ejected.

None of it mattered. Rocky Top, the No. 4 seed, built a 26-12 lead early in the first half and never trailed, controlling the game from start to finish en route to a quarterfinals win on the one-year anniversary of the college basketball season being shut down due to COVID. Rick Barnes’ team moved to 18-7 overall on the year. Florida falls to 14-9.

Up next for Tennessee basketball is another game at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn. at 1 p.m. ET on Saturday in the SEC Tournament semifinals, when the Vols will face the No. 1 seed Alabama Crimson Tide. Here are three things we learned from their win in this game.

1. Yves Pons led a dominant interior performance.

This was really about defense. Yves Pons returned to form down low. He had a historic day with a school-record nine blocks, which ties the SEC record in a game. However, Pons did his part on the offensive end as well, coming away with 11 points. Josiah-Jordan James and John Fulkerson both had a block as well, so UT finished with 11 blocks as a team.

As a whole, the Vols outrebounded the Gators 39-23. Pons had eight rebounds. Speaking of Fulkerson, though, he was having a great game before he was knocked out. About five minutes into the second half, he had eight points along with that block. Simply put, the Vols did their job, but Pons was the star. Even Uros Plavsic had a bucket.

2. Three-point shooting kept pace.

Florida had one of its solid three-point shooting games, coming away with 10 makes from beyond the arc and shooting an incredible 41.7 percent from the field. Honestly, given the fact that the Vols lost Fulkerson, that type of shooting combined with going 16-of-18 from the free throw line should have favored them to win this SEC Tournament matchup.

However, the Vols had a solid three-point shooting game on their own to maintain control. They were 9-of-25, or 36 percent, on the day. Pons and James were both 2-of-3, as they had 11 and 10 points respectively. Victor Bailey Jr. hit one as well. Then there was Santiago Vescovi, who was the star from downtown, going 4-of-9 and scoring 14 points.

3. Ball movement and shot selection was superb.

This has been an issue with the Vols throughout the year. They can win from the mid-range, but the shot selection has to be right. Well, that was the case here. Although the Vols dominated inside and were solid from beyond the arc, the two freshmen, Keon Johnson and Jaden Springer, still provided most of the scoring punch. Neither hit a three-pointer, but both had 13 points.

Lots of their scoring was in transition, as Springer had three steals and Johnson had one. However, they also took smart shots inside, even as their three-pointers weren’t falling. The solid ball movement is why this team had 21 assists and is advancing in the SEC Tournament. It also gives them a shot against the Tide Saturday.