Tennessee basketball continued its series of strong performances in Nashville but fell short in the SEC Tournament title game after falling into foul trouble late in the second half.
The Vols trailed Florida throughout the second half but were able to get the Florida lead to five points and seemed to have all the momentum.
Jordan Gainey took over in the second half when Rick Barnes and the Vols needed him, powering Tennessee to an 8-0 run in under 60 seconds and devouring Florida's double-digit lead. He finished the game leading the team in scoring with 24 points.
A couple of minutes after Tennessee's strong run, Chaz Lanier and Jahmai Mashack recorded their fifth foul of the game, and Florida built its lead to double digits.
Foul trouble was the Vols' biggest issue in this game. It started in the first half and the quick whistles at times throughout the second half hurt the Vols coming off a very physical battle with Auburn on Saturday.
Zakai Zeigler continued to be the best player on the court for the third straight game. His 23 points in the SEC Championship game weren't enough for the Vols to win, but Zeigler continues to show why he is the SEC Defensive Player of the Year and one of the best overall players in college basketball.
After that, Tennessee didn't have enough after having to dig deep into its bench to finish the game. The Vols continued to show toughness and heart, fighting until the final whistle, but ultimately fell to Florida 77-86 to lose the SEC Tournament championship game.
Tennessee's loss won't be the end of the world. While the championship would have been great, Tennessee is still going to be in a very favorable spot to make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament.
Tennessee will now turn to the Selection Sunday show, which will tell the Vols where they are seeded, who they will face, and where they will play. That show starts at 6:00 PM ET as the committee makes its final seeding decisions.