The Tennessee basketball team started hot. The Vols were pesky on defense and hitting shots despite Florida making it complicated. Rick Barnes knew this was going to be a high-energy game between two outstanding teams, and Tennessee came out of the gate with energy and physicality.
The game was neck and neck until the Tennessee turnovers started to bite them in the behind. Florida dominated the Vols in transition and ended the first half on a 15-2 run. Once Florida took the 13-point lead at the half, they kept their foot on the gas and never looked back, winning 91-67.
Let's take a look at the three key takeaways from the loss.
1. Florida dominated playing transition basketball
All night, Xaivian Lee and Boogie Fland were pushing the floor and making life difficult for Tennessee. The Vols looked sluggish and couldn't keep up with Florida. Fland finished with 23 points, and Lee had 10, a lot of which came from pushing the floor.
Credit to Todd Golden's team for executing their game plan. They were hitting the boards hard and making the game a track meet, finishing with 26 fast-break points. The Gators hustled down the floor and beat the Vols at their own game.
Rick Barnes will vomit when he watches the tape on this performance.
2. Turnovers
Tennessee simply could not take care of the basketball all night. The Vols finished with 18 turnovers that led to 30 Florida points. Tennessee's two main ball handlers, Ja'Kobi Gillespie and Bishop Boswell, combined for 10 turnovers.
There’s no way to win games playing like that. Tennessee had shown real improvement in limiting turnovers recently, but tonight the Vols slipped back into bad habits and couldn’t stop losing possession.
This is something Tennessee has to fix fast, or SEC play is going to be a long stretch of basketball.
3. Nate Ament had a nice performance
Let's finish on a high note. Nate Ament played one of his best games as a Vol. He showed aggressiveness when driving the lane, something he has struggled with all season, and he was tough on defense.
Ament was 5/11 from the field, finishing with 17 points, four rebounds, and a block. It was refreshing to see the future lottery pick find his form. Arment has so much talent, and when he puts it together, he is a dominant force.
If this version of Nate Ament is here to stay, Tennessee’s ceiling just got a whole lot higher.