NASHVILLE − Tennessee basketball has one crack left at a title this season and it’s the biggest title of them all.
The No. 4 seed Vols tumbled to No. seed Florida 86-77 in the SEC tournament title game at Bridgestone Arena on Sunday. They will find out their NCAA Tournament fate during the Selection Show, but appear assured of a No. 2 seed for the third time under coach Rick Barnes.
Jordan Gainey had a season-high 24 for the Vols (27-7), who lost Chaz Lanier and Jahmai Mashack to second-half foul outs in a foul-riddled game. Zakai Zeigler added 21 points against the Gators (30-4).
The Vols fell to 1-3 in SEC Tournament title games under Barnes. They lost in 2018 to Kentucky and 2019 to Alabama with their lone win being in 2022 against Texas A&M.
Tennessee got beaten up inside again by the Gators
Cade Phillips made a tricky reverse layup with 1:16 before halftime. Tennessee got little else near the rim as it could not deal with what Florida does best.
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The Gators outplayed the Vols near the rim, winning the rebounding battle handily and scoring well in the paint. Florida had a 39-25 edge in rebounds and outscored Tennessee 32-20 in the paint.
Jordan Gainey can win a game in March
Gainey had shown he can win a game for Tennessee before. He did it at Illinois in December.
The senior guard was Tennessee’s best offense and fueled its comeback attempt. He scored 10 straight points in a 2:10 span in the second half, including eight in a 52-second span to cut Florida lead to 60-55.
He hit a second-chance 3-pointer then a three-point play. He made two free throws after he was fouled on a transition dunk attempt.
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The Vols need more from Igor Milicic Jr.
If Tennessee is going to be at its best in the NCAA Tournament, it needs more from Igor Milicic Jr.
The senior forward played only 16 minutes against Auburn because of foul trouble. He had turnover issues when he was on the court, including back-to-back miscues in the final five minutes. He wasn’t better Sunday, struggling to stay on the court with foul trouble again,
The 6-foot-10 forward is Tennessee’s best rebounder and a key floor spacer offensively. He is neither when he isn’t on the court, but fouls and mistakes are keeping him out of the lineup too often in March.
Florida’s offense took over the first half
Felix Okpara blocked back-to-back shots midway through the first half. Tennessee missed at the other end and Florida hit a second-chance 3-pointer, starting a blistering run for the Gators.
Florida made six of its next eight shots to balloon a five-point lead to as many as 12. It led 36-25 at the end of the run.
The Vols got within six behind a pair of Zeigler 3-pointers in the final 2:48 before halftime, but Denzel Aberdeen hit a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to extend the lead to nine.
Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.com and follow him on X @ByMikeWilson or Bluesky @bymikewilson.bsky.social. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it.
