Tennessee basketball gets revenge against the Florida Gators, giving the conference rival a taste of its own medicine. The Vols suffered a 30-point loss to Florida when they took their annual trip to Gainesville, but Tennessee will have the last laugh this year with a dominant 20-point win in response.
The entire College Gameday crew took the bait and picked Florida over Tennessee, and the Vols made them look foolish, largely thanks to Chaz Lanier's elite offensive performance.
The win came without locker room leader Zakai Zeigler due to a knee injury and veteran forward Igor Milicic Jr., who had flu-like symptoms. That didn't stop Lanier from taking over and leading the team on offense.
He didn't put up a vintage 30-point game, but he shot as well as he had all season. Lanier finished the night with 19 points, shooting six-for-14 from the field and five-for-nine from three-point range.
Pair that performance with Jordan Gainey's 16-point output and Felix Okpara's ten points, and the Vols handled business against a Florida defense that physically dominated them one month ago.
Even more impressively, Tennessee did it with only seven players. The injuries limited Tennessee's lineup, which meant if the Vols faced foul trouble, which has been common the past couple of seasons, Tennessee could be in big trouble fast.
Cade Phillips was the only player with four fouls, which was big for the rest of the Vols. Lanier and company could play freely, not having to worry about foul trouble for most of the game.
That was in large part due to Lanier and the Vols' offensive success. Tennessee could be very dangerous if they can bring the same mentality to every game for the rest of the season, and Rick Barnes knows that.
"I'm as proud of these guys as any team since I've been here because of the way that they prepared for it and believed that they knew they could go out and get a win," Barnes said in his postgame press conference.
This performance is what Tennessee fans and Barnes and company have been waiting for. The Vols have put together some great performances, but this win was special without two starters.
Unable to rely on Zeigler, Lanier had to step up, and in his performance, he proved he could be the guy for Tennessee when the Vols needed him to lead the offense.
If Tennessee can combine Lanier's performance with Zeigler's toughness and physicality, Tennessee can reach new heights in March.