No. 1 Tennessee no longer undefeated after loss to No. 8 Florida
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Alijah Martin scored 18 points, Denzel Aberdeen added 16 and No. 8 Florida thumped top-ranked Tennessee 73-43 on Tuesday night to knock off the last unbeaten team in Division I basketball.
Alex Condon chipped in 12 points and 12 rebounds for his second double-double this season as the Gators (14-1, 1-1 Southeastern Conference) beat a No. 1 team for the third time in school history — the first in six tries at home — and extended their home winning streak to 16.
The Vols made four shots in the first 20 minutes and trailed by 36 points late.
Chaz Lanier, who played four seasons at North Florida before signing with Tennessee, scored 10 points on 3-of-16 shooting for the Vols.
Takeaways
Tennessee: One of the best defensive teams in the nation, the Vols were solid on that end of the court. Just about every basket Florida made was contested. The offensive end was a different story.
Florida: The Gators messed one thing up: They sold students tickets to the public as part of a three-game holiday package. Police had to escort dozens of angry students out of their usual, courtside seats before tipoff.
Key moment
Aberdeen and Will Richard hit back-to-back 3s midway through the first half, turning a six-point lead into a 13-point advantage and sending the home crowd into a frenzy.
Key stat
After allowing Kentucky to make 14 3-pointers in a 106-100 loss last week, the Gators held the Vols to 4 of 29 from behind the arc.
Up next
Tennessee plays at Texas on Saturday. Florida plays at Arkansas later that night.
HEADLINES
- UCLA's Cronin calls team soft: 'I'm upset with everybody'
- Pearl sets Auburn record with 214th victory as No. 2 Tigers hold off Texas
- 'This is good for us': No. 1 Tennessee falls by 30, losing perfect record
- No. 3 Iowa State rolls past Utah to extend winning streak to 10
- Georgia beats No. 6 Kentucky for 1st win over top-10 team since '20