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Final Undefeated Falls As No. 1 Tennessee Suffers Stunning 30-Point Loss to Florida

Karl Rasmussen

Florida Gators coach Todd Golden gestures toward the crowd against the Tennessee Volunteers.
Florida Gators coach Todd Golden gestures toward the crowd against the Tennessee Volunteers. / Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images
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And just like that, the last remaining undefeated team in college basketball has fallen.

The Tennessee Volunteers were the final college hoops team without a blemish on their résumé heading into Tuesday's SEC rivalry tilt against the Florida Gators, but they'll limp out of the Stephen C. O'Connell Center in disappointment.

The Vols were handed a humbling 30-point defeat by their in-conference foes, losing in blowout fashion, 73–43. Tennessee shot a ghastly 21.4% from the field (12-for-56) and an even worse 13.8% (4-for-29) from three-point range. They had just six assists throughout the entire game.

After getting off to a 14–0 start, the Volunteers quickly dropped to 1–1 in conference play. They took care of John Calipari's Arkansas convincingly on Jan. 4, winning that showdown by 24. A few days later, the script was flipped as they were handed one of the biggest defeats in program history. Tennessee's loss makes them the first AP No. 1 team to lose by 25 or more points since 1968.

Naturally, college basketball fans had plenty to say in the aftermath of the historic defeat.

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Karl Rasmussen
KARL RASMUSSEN

Karl Rasmussen is a staff writer for the Breaking and Trending News team for Sports Illustrated. A University of Oregon alum who joined SI in February 2023, his work has appeared on 12up and ClutchPoints. Rasmussen is a loyal Tottenham, Jets, Yankees and Ducks fan.

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