Knowing the Florida Gators Opponent: Tennessee Volunteers

The Gators look to pick up their first SEC win of the year and it's the last undefeated team in the country

The Gators look to take down the final undefeated team in the country / Randy Sartin-Imagn Images

Gainesville, Fla. – Unfortunately for the Florida Gators and head coach Todd Golden, they didn’t start conference play how they had preferred with the loss to Kentucky, but that doesn’t mean all is lost for the future. The Gators will have a chance to make up for this loss with a win today against the No. 1 ranked Tennessee Volunteers.  

The Volunteers travel to Gainesville today in what will be the Gators' second top-10 matchup in a row. Here’s what you need to know about this upcoming opponent. 

Background Check on the Volunteers

Just a few days ago, both the Gators and Volunteers stood as two of the final three remaining undefeated teams. However, the Gators fell to Kentucky and Oklahoma also took a loss, leaving only the Vols standing.

But like Florida, there hasn’t been much competition scheduled outside of conference play for Tennessee. They did have impressive wins against then-ranked Baylor and currently ranked Illinois. These are the only challenges, though. Outside of Baylor and Illinois, their top wins came against Miami, Virginia, Syracuse and Louisville. 

None of that matters now, though. It’s conference play time and they opened that with a strong win on the road over Arkansas last Saturday, winning by 24 points against the Razorbacks.

Important Volunteers to Watch Out For

There are three players in particular that the Gators will need to key in on if they want to avoid starting 0-2 in the SEC. Those three are Chaz Lanier, Zakai Zeigler and Igor Milicic Jr. 

The one who tops this list is going to be Lanier. The 6-foot-4, 199-pound North Florida transfer is a dangerous scorer, leading his team with 20.3 points per game. He is also one of the top three-point shooters in the country, sitting at No. 10 in the country in three-point percentage. Through 14 games, Lanier is knocking down 46.7 percent of his attempts. So, just like last weekend, the Gators will need no help from him or else they will be scorched from the outside. 

Ziegler, albeit small in stature, is not just one of the best players the SEC has to offer, but he is also one of the best players in the country. He is averaging 11.7, 8.0 assists, and 2.3 steals points per game. Additionally, his 8.0 assists per game is ranked fifth in Division I. Florida’s defense better be ready for every pass because if there is even the slightest of openings, Ziegler will find it. 

Lastly, we have Milicic Jr. The big man was a four-star transfer portal prospect this offseason and made the move to Tennessee following his two-year stint with Charlotte. The Croatian has usually been reliable beyond the three-point line in his career but is having a severe down year in this category to begin the season. He is only connecting on 24.4 percent from deep on 3.2 three-point attempts per game. 

However, he is still one of their best rebounders on the roster. Standing in at 6-foot-10, 225 pounds, Milicic Jr. is averaging a team-high 8.9 rebounds per game this season. 

These three will spearhead the Volunteers, and the Gators will have to be very wary about their talents in this matchup

Defense Wins Championships

While Florida is one of the country’s best offenses — No. 5 in Division I, scoring 88.3 points per game — Tennessee boasts one of the best defenses in the country, allowing just 55.9 points per game. That number is good for No. 2 across Division I. 

They’re also atop the leaderboards for scoring margin as well. 

In addition to the overall scoring defense, Tennessee is one of the best at defending threes. They are No. 1 in the country in opponent three-point percentage, holding opponents to a 24.3 three-point percentage. 

There’s a reason the Volunteers are the No. 1 team in the country. They have the players and coaching to prove they are one of the clear favorites, and, more importantly, they understand defense wins championships. 

This SEC showdown between the Volunteers and the Gators will be televised on ESPN 2 at 7 p.m.