Have you calmed down a bit after the Tennessee basketball team suffered its 30-point loss to No. 8 Florida earlier in the week? No one saw a 73-43 Vols defeat to the Gators coming, but it was no question a humbling experience for the entire team.
Tennessee entered that contest with a 14-0 record, ranked the No. 1 team in the country. Florida didn't care about that, however, landing haymaker after haymaker on the Volunteers from start to finish in that contest.
Maybe it's a good thing this happened, though? That's what head coach Rick Barnes has on his mind. We all knew it wasn't going to be a perfect season for this squad. And while no one expected the first defeat to come in such embarrassing fashion, Barnes said he thinks this will turn out to be a good thing in the long run:
"I think it's good for us. I really do. I think we're going to learn a lot from this."
— Josh Ward (@Josh_Ward) January 8, 2025
Rick Barnes discussed the importance of Tennessee learning from its 30-point loss at Florida. pic.twitter.com/b400EiO8B6
Rick Barnes is ready for Tennessee to respond after the brutal loss to Florida
You know what, maybe Barnes is onto something. If this ends up serving as a wake-up call for Tennessee and it reminds the guys inside of the locker room that they can't afford to take a night off, then maybe it will be a good thing.
At the end of the season, no one is going to care about a lopsided loss to Florida in January if Tennessee ends up going on a deep postseason run or wins the SEC tournament. Having said that, you know revenge will be on the players' minds once Florida makes its way to Knoxville.
Come Feb. 1 at 12 p.m. ET, Tennessee will host Florida and it's a showdown that plenty of people no question have already circled on their calendars. Gators Nation as a whole can't stop trolling the Vols over the 30-point win. Sure, folks in Florida can smile and talk trash now, but look for Tennessee to change things up sooner rather than later.
We can't let one loss like this ruin what has been a memorable start to the year. Chaz Lanier is still one of the best players in the conference and Barnes is still an incredible coach. UT will look to remind everyone of that this weekend against Texas.