Florida vs Tennessee: Injury Report, Starting 5 & More as Rick Barnes Eyes SEC Glory to Secure March Madness Bid

Both teams have the exact same stakes—win and punch their ticket to the top line of the bracket. The two-seed Florida Gators take on the four-seed Tennessee Volunteers after an enthralling performance in the semifinals. The Gators trounced the Alabama Crimson Tide with a convincing 22-point win. Meanwhile, the Vols upset the one-seed Auburn Tigers with a spectacular second-half showdown. Now, they meet in the SEC men’s tournament finals on Sunday, and if you still think that’s not interesting, then there is more.

The Tennessee Volunteers and Florida split their season series this season. First, the Gators earned a dominant 73-43 win at home in Gainesville on Jan. 7. Later, Rick Barnes and co. exacted revenge with an equally impressive 64-44 victory at home in Knoxville, Tennessee, on Feb. 1. So what can we expect from the SEC final?

Injury report and lineup: Who’s in and who’s out?

For the intense semifinals clash, the Gators had the Same starters for the last three games (and first 21). During the win against Alabama, the Florida team showcased their talent and depth once again at Bridgestone Arena. As Six different players scored in double figures for UF. Even the Head coach praised his team and was proud of the overall contribution. In the previous report, only Sam Alexis, F was out (undisclosed).

“Our depth wore on them in the second half, proved out, showed out, in the second half,” Florida basketball coach Todd Golden said. “We were able to get in their bench a little bit and our bench stepped up, made some big time plays and allowed us to get some rest for our starters, and we just kept coming in waves.”

Florida Gators lineup:
Alex Condon #21
Rueben Chinyelu #9
Will Richard #5
Walter Clayton Jr. #1
Alijah Martin #15

Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes upped his career win total to 833, tying John Calipari for both ninth place on the all-time wins list (min. 10 years in Division I) and for the highest count among active coaches. Previously, only one casualty was listed, Cameron Carr, G: Out (hand). Apart from him the Vols bench contributed with 25 points in comparison to the Tigers’ 3 points.

Tennessee Volunteers :

Felix Okpara #34

Igor Milicic Jr. #7

Zakai Zeigler #5

Chaz Lanier #2

Jahmai Mashack #15

It’s the perfect matchup to close out the SEC, with Florida’s scorching-hot offense running into the backbreaking defense of the Vols.

Can the Tennessee Volunteers script another upset?

Rick Barnes and co. will be seeking their first conference tournament championship since 2022. Meanwhile, Florida is looking to be crowned conference tourney champs for the first time since 2014. Tennessee’s path to victory will come through their defensive tenacity and ability to control physicality. They had to grind out a 70-65 win over Auburn. The offensive ability has been streaky at best as they average only 70.6 points and shoot 42.9% from the field.

Dec 23, 2024; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Tennessee Volunteers head coach Rick Barnes speaks during the post game interview after the game against the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-Imagn Images

Most importantly, their turnover has been 13+ times in four of their last five. Which will be an area the Gators happily exploit! They forced 16 turnovers and turned them into 27 points against the Alabama Crimson Tide. They dominated the game from start to finish to complete a 104-82 thrashing. In terms of shooting efficiency, it was 51.4% from the field and 44.4% from three in the semifinal.

This will be Florida men’s basketball’s second straight visit to the men’s SEC tournament championship. Last year, the Gators fell short against Auburn, and with their offensive ability, many think they are the odds-on favorite for the title.

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