Florida Basketball: Gators pull huge upset over Tennessee
By Will Thomas
Florida basketball just turned their entire season around. The #2 ranked Tennessee Volunteers walked into Gainesville thinking they had the game in the bag. They’re the better team with the best defense in the country.
What could go wrong?
From the second they walked into the arena, they got punched in the mouth by a Gator team that had something to prove.
Florida rocketed out to a 17-4 lead and kept fighting through the whole game. Even after going down by six about midway through the second half, they stayed confident, played hard, and got the job done.
As is the story with just about every big Florida win, Colin Castleton just took over. After a slow but solid first half, Colin snapped into a different guy in the second half.
Multiple tough and-one finished to get the crowd going, a much bigger presence on the defensive glass, and the shot-blocking we’ve all become accustomed to seeing.
He finished with 20 points and nine rebounds, leading the Gators the whole second half.
Castleton took MVP away from Kyle Lofton in the second half, but the Gators don’t even come close to winning this game without Kyle’s performance.
He had 14 points and three assists, but his impact goes way beyond the stat sheet.
He did an exceptional job of leading the offense and directing the Gators past an elite defense. He only turned the ball over twice, and kept everyone calm and collected on the way to the win.
Will Richard and Myreon Jones both had nine points, combining to go 4-7 from deep. Riley Kugel only had four points but his six rebounds and defensive hustle helped give the Gators a spark.
The Gator bench only scored 11 points, but their sensational defense made it enough.
This was a huge win for Florida, as they look to build their tournament resume and get through this four-game gauntlet they’re now halfway through.
Keep up with Florida basketball at Hail Florida Hail.