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After throttling a veteran Arkansas squad tonight and moving to 9-1 in the SEC, Florida losing to LSU, and Kentucky getting flat out embarrassed at Vandy last night, it’s not looking like anyone is going to catch Tennessee in the SEC race. There are six games less to go, and Tennessee would have to lose at least two more games if Kentucky wins out. That’s not likely to happen after how the Wildcats played last night. They may have to drop to Division III to beat anybody after the hit their collective psyche must have taken.
Tennessee has been unbeatable at home, so we have to turn to the road schedule to figure any possible losses. The Vols have three road conference games remaining, plus a date with the undefeated Memphis Tigers in Memphis’ Fed Ex Forum February 23rd. Georgia should be an easy win, but Vandy and Florida may present a challenge. Florida was able to run with Tennessee for a half, but wore down quickly in the second half. With a little boost from the crowd, the Gators may stand a better chance. Right now though, if Tennessee is going to lose another conference game it will probably be at Vanderbilt February 26th.
My prediction is the Vols finish 28-3 or 27-4 with losses to Memphis and possibly Vanderbilt (or Florida… but not both).
Saturday the Gators took down a struggling Georgia team that has lost 5 in a row. The Gators didn’t shoot extremely well, making less than 50% from the field and only 14 of 22 from the free throw line, but it was enough for a 10-point victory. Notably, Calathes scored only 7 points on 1-7 from the field; not good for the Gators go-to guy. The final score was 77-67. With a two game home stand this week, the Gators should pick up another win against LSU, before heading to Nashville to face Vandy next weekend. I’ll be at that game and will be posting some pictures afterwards.
After Saturday’s shellacking at the hands of Arkansas, I didn’t think it could get much worse. I knew we were in for a game against Tennessee, but the first half got me thinking we could actually win. Then came that other team onto the court. The one that forces shots. That doesn’t drive to the rim. That plays like midgets running around in circles against a team full of Shaqs.
UT must have thought it was Christmas the way Florida turned the ball over in the second half. After a solid shooting performance in the first half, Florida finished the night still shooting 52.8% to UT’s 49.3%, but the 3-point percentage dropped below 30%. UT hit on 43.3% of their 3-pointers. Florida defended the lane well for much of the game, but gave Lofton and company way too many open looks from beyond the arc. Lofton finished 6-11 from three point range, and Jujuan Smith finished 6-12.
What truly killed all momentum from the first half was the officiating in the second half. The first few minutes were clean, but from about five minutes in to the end, Florida couldn’t breathe without a whistle being blown. There were several clean blocks called fouls. At one point Chandler Parsons reached out and whiffed as Prince blew by him to the basket, and was called for the foul.
Florida needs another signature victory to add to their resume down the final stretch. They should be looking for revenge when the Vols come to town, and a win at Vandy on the 16th should help their case. Look for Florida to win 6-7 out of their remaining 8 games and pick up steam heading into the SEC Tourney. If they fare well in the SEC Tournament, I’d guess they may pick up a seed in the 5-8 range for the NCAA Tournament. Otherwise, there’s a chance they could be left out when March Madness rolls around.
The game is on ESPN at 9 PM Eastern (8 Central). Look for the game to hinge on Florida being able to hit shots from the field, particularly the 3-pointers. The crowd noise will be a huge factor. If Florida gets down early, it could get ugly. If Calathes and company get a hot hand, this could be a very competitive game.
The other deciding factor for Florida is how they shoot on free throws. In their losses this season they have shot poorly from the line. This could be a 10-15 point swing tonight.
From the Field to the Court 
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