Tennessee Powers Past Dirty Gators Behind Record Setting Pons

Tennessee out fought the Florida Gators to advance to the semifinals of the SEC Tournament. They were led by Yves Pons and his school record 9 blocks. However the story of the game was a dirty elbow by Omar Payne that put John Fulkerson out of the game.

Tennessee had gone a month without winning back-to-back games as they came into the SEC Tournament, and the Vols had looked less than their best even when they did win. The good news for Tennessee coming into the SEC Tournament in Nashville was that their last regular season victory came against their first tournament opponent, the Florida Gators. It was a physical, chippy game between two rivals that got turned up a notch after an extremely dirty play by the Gators. Tennessee advances to the SEC Tournament Semifinals where regular season champion Alabama awaits. The Vols move on thanks to the strength of a 78–66 victory in the rubber match over the Gators.

There were many storylines for Tennessee in this game, but Yves Pons setting a school record in the SEC Tournament has to be the lead. Pons put together one of his best games of the season with 11 points, 8 rebounds, and a Tennessee record 9 blocks in the game. As much as Pons filled the stat sheet, he was absolutely dominant on defense. Nine blocks is eye popping, but Pons altered even more shots with his length and presence at the rim. He impacted the game in the post and moving out to defend Florida shooters on the perimeter. Pons was flying all over the floor on offense and defense, making plays that showed up in the stat sheet and that didn’t. Pons influenced the game on both ends of the floor with his presence more than any other player on the floor, attacking the offensive glass, scoring, and ferociously defending the rim for the Vols.

Tennessee’s other senior big man, John Fulkerson, had logged 8 points early in the second half. Fulkerson had been efficient offensively and been active on defense for Tennessee. The defining moment of the game, however, came on a play that happened to Fulkerson, rather than one he made. Fighting for an offensive rebound early in the second half, Fulkerson was elbowed in the face by Florida forward Omar Payne. Going down the floor, Payne threw another elbow, clearly intentional, into Fulkerson’s head. Fulkerson collapsed to the floor, clearly in pain. Payne was ejected with a well-deserved flagrant two foul. Fulkerson also did not return after as dirty a play as seen in the SEC in some time. It is unclear if Fulkerson will be available for the Vols against Alabama, and it is a solid question as to whether or not Payne should be available for the Gators. The Vols had gone cold in the last seven minutes of the first half and the first two minutes of the second, however after the dirty elbow to Fulkerson, the Vols sparked into life. 

Santiago Vescovi led the Vols in scoring with 14 points and 5 assists. Vescovi went 4-9 from the field, with all of his shots coming from beyond the arc. Vescovi, who was a point the Gators targeted when they blew out the Vols in their first meeting of the season, put together a strong effort on both ends of the floor for Tennessee. Vescovi has a solid defensive game, and was effective in hitting shots and facilitating for the rest of the Tennessee offense. Fellow sophomore Josiah Jordan-James also turned in an excellent game, coming up just shy of a double-double with 10 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists. Jordan-James was aggressive on offense early for Tennessee, helping the Vols start strong. In the second half, his offensive rebounding and ability to create opportunities for his teammates helped to pace the Volunteer offense. Defensively, Jordan-James gave the Gators problems with his physicality on the outside, his athleticism getting back to the hoop, and a Pons-esque highlight block of his own. 

The Tennessee freshmen played exceptionally well again, especially in the second half. Keon Johnson fouled out of the game, but that is about the only possible criticism of him. Johnson, like Jordan-James, ended just shy of a double-double logging 13 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists. It seemed like whenever the Vols needed a big bucket in the second half Johnson either hit the shot or made the assist, not to mention he was aggressive on the glass and defense. Jaden Springer also dropped in 13 points to go with 4 rebounds and 2 assists in his first SEC Tournament action. After Fulkerson’s injury, when the Volunteer offense was struggling, and despite having shot poorly to that point, Springer aggressively got to the rim to get points for his team. Springer’s assertive, confident play helped to shake the Tennessee offense out their rut as they went on to put the Gators away. 

The Vols allowed Florida guard Trey Mann to hit them for 30 points, but allowed just 36 points to the rest of the roster. This was the third extremely physical matchup that the Vols have had with the Gators this season, and after getting smashed in their first meeting, the Vols showed a better level of toughness to answer in the last two matchups. Tennessee should be proud of this win over the Gators, especially with the way they responded to a terrible elbow that intended to, and was successful in, injuring John Fulkerson. If the Vols can put together a full game like their second half, they could continue to play in this tournament. However, the Vols will need to avoid the long offensive droughts, like the one in the first half, if they hope to knock off regular season SEC Champion Alabama tomorrow. The Crimson Tide defeated the Vols in Thompson Boling Arena earlier this season, and Alabama is the type of team that has given the Vols trouble in recent years. The Tide cruised to a dominant win over Mississippi State in the day’s first game, and they will squats face a Tennessee team coming out of a battle with Florida. The two square off at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville on Saturday at 1:00 eastern time on ESPN.