The Florida Gators travel to Knoxville on Sunday to take on Tennessee in the regular season finale. The last time these two programs met, Florida blasted one of the hottest teams in the country 75-49.
The Gators might have broken the Vols that day, because they have struggled to return to that level ever since. Though Tennessee is not a Top-10 team anymore, it hasn’t forgotten the game in Gainesville.
There are no expectations for another 26-point blowout on Florida’s side.
“We’re gonna see a different team in Knoxville, and the game is going to be completely different,” said head coach Mike White. “It’s going to be hard to score. It’s going to be hard to get stops. It’s going to be a grind it out game where we’ve got to be resilient … We’ve gotta put together one of our best efforts to go in there and steal one on the road.”
Both teams are looking to end the regular season on a high note after losing the last time out.
The Gators fell 72-70 to Missouri on Wednesday night. Despite a late comeback, the game left Florida with a bad taste in its mouth.
Looking back on the loss, Tyree Appleby put a lot of the blame on his shoulders. The junior guard had five turnovers in the game, and said he pouted about some poor decisions. He believed that quickly spread to the rest of the team.
“I think being one of the leaders on the team, I think it started with me and my teammates seeing me down and everything,” he said. “It’s like everybody’s trying to make a home run play or get us in the lead, or trying to make a big play instead of making the right play. I think we just got too comfortable against a good Missouri team and they capitalized on that.”
White decided to use Thursday as a mental day for his team. The Gators sat down and watched a ton of film instead of taking the court.
This late in the season, Florida still can’t find a consistent lineup, but White is hoping the physical break gave his guys an opportunity to regroup.
“We thought if we could trade that out for a practice it might do us a little bit better,” he said. “We’ll see how guys respond. Who’s playing well, who’s locked in, who’s bringing energy, who’s valuing the basketball and making good decisions. We’ll probably get through the shoot-around before we decide who’s starting.”
Looking ahead to Sunday, the Gators want to bring the energy back that they had the first time they met the Vols.
“We take every game just game by game,” Appleby said. “We’re going to try to come in and do the same thing we did last time, just play hard, play smart, make the right plays, and try to get the W.”
The Tennessee game will be a huge opportunity to take momentum into the SEC Tournament next week. It could also be the difference between finishing third or sixth in the conference.
At this point, Florida’s focus is not on seeding, but a strong week ahead is a must with the NCAA Tournament looming.