It figures to be a low-scoring affair when the Florida Gators (12-9, 5-3 SEC) welcome the No. 2 Tennessee Volunteers (18-3, 7-1 SEC) on Wednesday. Tennessee topped the Texas Longhorns 82-71 at Thompson-Boling Arena on Saturday, their fourth win in a row.
Olivier Nkamhoua was the standout player with 27 points and eight rebounds. Florida dropped their last game on Saturday at Fred Bramlage Coliseum, falling to the Kansas State Wildcats 64-50. Colin Castleton had 13 points, eight rebounds, and four blocks in the loss, leading the team.
This marks the only meeting of the season between the teams. Tennessee earned the win in the only matchup between the teams last season 78-71 at Thompson-Boling Arena in January 2022, their third straight head-to-head victory. Santiago Vescovi led the Volunteers with 23 points.
Tyree Appleby had 16 points and seven assists in the loss. The Volunteers have been led this season by Zakai Zeigler (11.2 ppg), Nkamhoua (11.0), and Vescovi (10.5). Zeigler also has dished 5.1 assists per game.
Meanwhile, Julian Phillips is grabbing 5.1 rebounds per game. Castleton has powered the Gators on offense, averaging 14.9 points per game. Castleton also has pulled down 7.6 rebounds per game. Kyle Lofton has doled out 2.8 assists per game.
The Volunteers and the Gators rank as two of the strongest defenses in the nation, first and 25th in defensive efficiency, respectively. Tennessee is 9-1 in the last 10 games with an average margin of +19.7 (75.3-55.6).
Florida has split the last 10 (5-5), scoring 64.0 points per game on average while holding opponents to 62.1 (+1.9 margin). The Gators are averaging 71.7 ppg for the full season while allowing 65.0.
VOLUNTEERS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Josiah-Jordan James: 19.8 | 10.1 | +9.7
Tyreke Key: 7.2 | 12.2 | -5.0
Points per game:
Zakai Zeigler: 15.0 | 11.2 | +3.8
Tyreke Key: 4.6 | 8.1 | -3.5
Assists per game:
Zakai Zeigler: 7.6 | 5.1 | +2.5
Santiago Vescovi: 1.8 | 2.7 | -0.9
GATORS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Myreon Jones: 17.2 | 10.3 | +6.9
Trey Bonham: 2.6 | 11.3 | -8.7
Points per game:
Trey Bonham: 0.4 | 7.3 | -6.9
Rebounds per game:
Alex Fudge: 2.8 | 4.6 | -1.8
SportsTips’ College Basketball Pick:
Tennessee (-225)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
