Talk about a night to forget for the Tennessee basketball team. The Vols were riding high after dominating Arkansas in Knoxville over the weekend and they had a ton of confidence leading up to the showdown with No. 8 Florida. Then, disaster struck.
On Tuesday night, the Vols couldn't buy a bucket and Florida was able to post a 73-43 victory. A 30-point loss for the top team in the country? Unfortunately, that's exactly what happened. Rick Barnes was not happy at all after the loss and no one can blame him for that.
In the first half alone, Tennessee was ICE cold shooting the ball, connecting on only four field-goal attempts. For the night, the Vols went 12-of-56 from the floor, which is next-level embarrassing. UT made some pretty rough history too, recording the lowest field-goal percentage (21.4) for a No. 1 team in the shot clock era.
Add in the fact that it was the lowest percentage for any ranked team in the past six years and it will give fans even more of a reason to pull their hair out. This is something the players need to flush, but they should also use it as a major wake-up call:
Tennessee shot 12-56 (21.4%) from the field in tonight’s loss at Florida.
— Jared Berson (@JaredBerson) January 8, 2025
That’s the lowest field goal percentage in a game by a No. 1 team in the shot clock era and the lowest FG% by any ranked team in 6 years.
Tennessee basketball only made 12 shots in the stunning loss to Florida
What's most concerning here too is that Tennessee missed some wide open shots. Throughout the season, Chaz Lanier has looked like one of the best players in the country and a contender for SEC Player of the Year. However, Florida had a brilliant defensive game plan for him.
On the night, Lanier was held to just 10 points, which no one expected before tip-off. We've got to give credit to the Gators, as head coach Todd Golden had his guys ready to rock for this primetime showdown. The same can't be said for Barnes.
Tennessee entered the game with its 14-0 record. Everyone knew it wasn't going to be a perfect season for Barnes and Co. and eventually a loss would come. However, no one thought a 30-point L on the road would be the first defeat of 2024-25.