KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - All UF could do was watch in stunned silence as the deafening Tennessee crowd drowned out any hope of a second-half comeback.
More than 20,000 fans took to their feet as the Gators (18-4, 5-2 Southeastern Conference) walked off the floor at Thompson-Boling Arena to the tune of a 79-63 loss.
"That's definitely the wildest crowd we've seen this year," forward Chandler Parsons said. "It's a crazy environment, and they don't like us."
The Gators chipped away at a 23-point second-half Volunteers lead and cut the deficit to 10 with 4:42 to play.
But the Volunteers closed out the game with a 15-9 flurry that proved to be too much to overcome.
It was the Gators' fourth straight loss in Knoxville and their sixth out of the last seven to the Volunteers.
Tennessee (13-7, 4-2 SEC) opened the game with an 11-3 run and never took its foot off the gas.
UF guard Nick Calathes (21 points) was sent to the bench after picking up two fouls in the first three minutes of play.
The first foul came at the 18:22 mark and the second a little more than a minute later when he was called for an offensive foul while driving down the lane.
"I didn't think it was a charge, but the refs are going to make those calls sometimes," Calathes said.
Freshman Erving Walker was forced to shoulder the load at point guard for the Gators.
The burden was too much for him to handle.
Walker was clearly rattled by the raucous Tennessee crowd and struggled to control the ball.
Usually quick to pull the trigger, Walker (3 points) passed up open looks he usually knocks down.
With Calathes on the sideline, it was up to the 5-foot-8 Walker to slow down 6-foot-7 Tennessee guard Scotty Hopson.
The freshman capitalized on the mismatch, scoring 20 points and going 4 of 6 from 3-point range.
Calathes re-entered the game with a little more than six minutes to play in the first half, but by then the Volunteers already had the game well in hand.
"Obviously, when we lose Nick, that's a big part of our offense," Parsons said. "We have to learn how to play without him."
Frustration soon began to set in for the Gators.
Down 36-19 with 1:02 left in the first half, UF was charged with a five-second violation after the team failed to inbound the ball.
The Gators struggled to protect the ball all night, coughing up the rock 18 times - 12 in the first half.
"We were careless," Parsons said. "We have to be able to take care of the ball better."
Parsons fouled out with 1:28 to play after tallying 15 points and nine rebounds.
At times Saturday night, the game became heated, with physical altercations popping up across the court.
Walter Hodge was charged with a technical foul with 15:39 to play in the second half after throwing an elbow to Hopson's face while fighting for a loose ball in front of the Volunteers' bench.
