Florida had their chances to get a huge road victory but an injury to Jason Jitoboh, some tough calls by the officials, and some untimely execution errors ultimately resulted in the Gators losing by a score of 78-71 to the Tennessee Volunteers. The Gators started the game hot from the outside and actually led 42-34 at the half before the Vols quickly erased the lead in the second and held on for the win. The Gators showed heart and battled for 40 minutes, and truthfully a 7-point loss on the road to the #18 ranked Volunteers isn’t a bad loss, though with the Gators holding a couple of double digit leads they certainly would have loved to have the game land in their favor.
Turning Point
Things were looking pretty solid for the Gators for the first half of the game until Jason Jitoboh was struck in the face going up for a rebound, a blow that had him falling like a heap to the playing surface. He was ruled out for the game with an eye injury and that was the turning point for this game. Already without Colin Castleton the Gators also found out they’d likely be without CJ Felder, a capable backup center, due to an illness. With Jitoboh going down the Gators were left with Tuon Gatkek and some small-ball minutes with Anthony Duruji at center which allowed the Volunteers to go at the paint relentlessly. Florida was outscored in the paint and outrebounded, showing that there is really no team in college basketball built to play without their top three frontcourt options.
Staying Hot
Tyree Appleby has been playing some good ball as of late and one of the only reasons the Gators held a lead early and also got back into the game late was his outstanding shot making. Appleby had 16 points and 7 assists while going 4-8 from three with his makes being huge long balls off the bounce. Without Castleton the Gators need a scorer who can bring electricity and right now when things aren’t working with Florida’s offense they can go to him to create.
Stepping Up
Anthony Duruji shared the scoring lead with Tyree Appleby contributing 16 points and he did it on efficient 6-10 shooting. What made his game so special was that he attacked closeouts in straight lines, using his athleticism to get to the rim and finish. The Gators lack players that can put pressure on the rim with the drive so when Duruji contributes that it’s huge for Florida’s offense. This was an encouraging game for Duruji who isn’t always consistent on the offensive end, and perhaps this is a performance he can build on.
Final Strike
In the final minutes of the game Tennessee led 70-66 and had a shot spill off the rim. In going for the rebound, the Volunteers were called for a foul and with the Gators in the bonus that meant Florida would be shooting free throws. However, after a petition from Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes the referees reviewed the play and instead called a “hook and hold” technical foul on Anthony Duruji, so instead of Florida going to the line to shoot free throws down 4 points, the Volunteers got to shoot free throws and keep the ball. That killed pretty much any chance at a Florida comeback, and the hook and hold call could certainly be classified as debatable.
Final Thoughts
In a vacuum there is nothing particularly wrong with a 7-point loss to the Volunteers when they’re at home, particularly given the injury issues. Florida continued to scrape and claw to stay in the game, cementing that effort will never be a problem with this team. However, Florida did give up a lot of points to a mediocre offensive team and also weren’t able to generate key buckets when they needed it. Florida now has a game with Oklahoma State in the Big 12-SEC Challenge to prepare for which will be absolutely massive for the Gators’ NCAA Tournament hopes.