After defeating No. 18 Georgia on Tuesday, the defending national champions have another chance to prove why they belong back in the AP Top 25 poll.
Florida (10-5) takes on No. 21 Tennessee (11-4) at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center Saturday at noon. The Gators have a chance to win their second game against a ranked opponent in a row.
Here are four keys for Florida to stay undefeated at home and take down the Volunteers in the O’Dome for the fourth consecutive time.
Win on the glass
Through two games of conference play, rebounding has proved pivotal for the Gators.
In Florida's loss to Missouri, the teams were tied in the rebound battle. Against No. 18 Georgia, Florida was plus-21 on the glass, playing a pivotal role in Florida’s 15-point upset.
Against Tennessee, UF faces one of its toughest challenges this season when it comes to being dominant on the boards. The Volunteers enter Saturday’s matchup No. 6 nationally in rebound margin (plus-13) and No. 5 in offensive rebounds per game (15.1).
The Gators are first in the nation in rebound margin, offensive rebounds per game and boards per game, but the Volunteers are No. 1 in the SEC in opponent rebounds, allowing 29.5 boards per game.
Tennessee's success on the glass is due to five players averaging five or more rebounds per game. Nate Ament and Jaylen Carey are tied for a team-high 6.5 boards a game.
Florida’s effort on the glass is highlighted by Rueben Chinyelu, who is averaging 10.3 boards a game and is on track to be the first Gator in 50 years to finish a season with double-digit rebounds.
Behind Chinyelu, Alex Condon is averaging 8.6 rebounds a night. He is fresh off a 21-point, eight-rebound performance against Georgia.
While rebound opportunities may not be as plentiful for Florida on Saturday, the Gators will have to do as much damage on the glass as possible to pull off the upset.
Get the offense going
In addition to being a good rebounding team, the Volunteers come into the contest as one of the better defensive teams in the nation.
Tennessee has the best scoring defense in the SEC, holding opponents to 65.7 points per game. It is also limiting opponents to a league-best 31.2% shooting from the field and second-best 29.1% from beyond the arc.
Florida’s offense has struggled this season, recording the third-worst field goal percentage (45.7%) and worst 3-point shooting percentage (27.7%) in the SEC.
Guards Boogie Fland and Xaivian Lee make up a majority of the Gators’ offensive struggles this season.
Fland, a sophomore transfer from Arkansas, has logged double-digit points in one of Florida’s last four outings. Against Georgia on Tuesday, Fland was scoreless at the break. After shooting 34% from three in his freshman season, the Bronx native is converting 19% of his shots from 3-point range. Moreover, he is 1 for 14 from beyond the arc in the last four games.
Lee transferred to Florida from Princeton after two straight seasons in which he shot 43% or better from beyond the arc. While he’s found more success from deep, the Toronto native is shooting a career-low 26.3% from three this season. Against Georgia, he made one of five attempts from deep.
Urban Klavzar has been Florida’s most consistent option from 3, shooting 36.4% on the season. The junior guard from Slovenia has made at least one 3-pointer in five consecutive outings.
Considering that Florida will not be as dominant on the glass as it’s used to, the offense will need to increase its efficiency against one of the better scoring defenses nationally.
Disrupt passing lanes
The Volunteers head into Saturday ranked No. 3 in the SEC in assists, averaging 19 per game.
Ja’Kobi Gillespie leads the team with 18.7 points and 5.7 assists per game. The senior guard is coming off a season-best 34 points against Texas on Tuesday. He also logged five assists. At his best, Gillespie balances scoring with his ability to set up other teammates.
However, Tennessee's top scorers in Gillespie and Ament have struggled to take care of the ball, both averaging two or more turnovers a game.
In a 75-62 loss against then-No. 14 Illinois on Dec. 6, the Volunteers lost the turnover battle 13-6. Against Syracuse on Dec. 2, Tennessee was minus-14 in points off turnovers, leading to a 62-60 deficit.
Florida is last in the SEC with a turnover margin (minus-2), but if Fland, who leads the team with 1.6 steals a game, and the rest of Florida can disrupt the passing lanes, the defending national champions can prevent Tennessee’s offense from getting into a rhythm.
Use home-court advantage
Since the 2023-24 season, Florida has played its best basketball in the O’Dome, recording only two losses during this span.
With Saturday’s game taking place two days before the spring semester begins, many students will be back in Gainesville for their first home game since Nov. 21 against Merrimack. The Rowdy Reptiles should be ready to go, especially with UF fighting to get back into the AP poll.
Moreover, the Volunteers have struggled in the O’Dome, losing in three straight appearances in Gainesville, all of which by 13 points or more. Last year, Florida handed then-No. 1 Tennessee a 30-point defeat at home.
Expect the Gators to come out of the gate ready to get the sold-out crowd into the game and send Tennessee home with its fifth loss of the season.
Contact Jeffrey Serber at Jserber@alligator.org. Follow him on X @JeffreySerber.
Jeffrey is the spring 2026 men's basketball beat reporter and a second-year journalism sports & media major with a media, management and production minor. In his free time, he enjoys hanging out with friends and family, and rooting for the Miami sports teams
