How's that for some humble pie, Florida? Remember when Gators fans were bashing people in Knoxville over the 30-point win earlier in the season? Well, the Tennessee basketball team was able to get some sweet revenge, taking down Florida 64-44 on Saturday.
With Zakai Zeigler out with a knee injury and Igor Milicic Jr. missing the contest due to the flu, not many people thought Tennessee would be able to come out on top. Just ask the entire ESPN College GameDay crew about that. Yup, everyone, including Jay Bilas, picked Florida to leave the stadium on Saturday with the win. Instead, all four expert picks were dead wrong:
¯\_(ツ)_/¯ pic.twitter.com/WeDInejpKI
— Tennessee Basketball (@Vol_Hoops) February 1, 2025
Tennessee shocked the country with its dominant win over Florida
Seth Greenberg even went as far as to say there was no chance that the Vols would come out on top. Plenty of Tennessee fans are letting him have it on social media. That's always going to be the case when you doubt the Vols and they prove you wrong.
This was a game where Rick Barnes and his players showed a ton of heart. Florida is one of the top teams in the country and they're a Top 5 squad on offense. That sure didn't look to be the case in this one, though, with the Tennessee defense holding them to 44 points.
Florida also couldn't buy a bucket from beyond the arc, which was pretty darn stunning. Chaz Lanier led the way with his 19 points, going 5-of-9 from downtown. Jordan Gainey once again stepped up for Tennessee too, pouring in 16 points.
The Vols had their backs against the wall and following the loss to Kentucky earlier in the week, the confidence wasn't too high leading up to tip-off for the fanbase. However, Lanier and Co. delivered, making Greenberg, Bilas, Jay Williams and Andraya Carter look foolish for their pre-game picks.