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Florida vs. Tennessee: How to watch, injury report, betting lines, game notes

On3 imageby:Zach Abolverdiabout 11 hours

ZachAbolverdi

Florida-Gators-Todd-Golden-Rick-Barnes
Florida Gators head coach Todd Golden and Tennessee Volunteers head coach Rick Barnes talk before a game at Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center. (Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images)

For the third time this season, the No. 4 Florida Gators (29-4) will face No. 8 Tennessee on Sunday with a championship on the line. UF is looking to win its first SEC Tournament title since 2014.

Florida split its regular season series against the Vols (25-6), beating them when they were ranked No. 1 by 30 points in Gainesville, 73-43, on Jan. 7 and suffering a 64-44 loss in Knoxville on Feb. 1.

How to watch Florida against Tennessee

When: March 16
Where: Bridgestone Arena (19,395) | Nashville, Tenn.
Time: 1 p.m. ET
TV | Stream: ESPN | ESPN app

Betting lines for Gators vs. Vols

Spread: Florida -4.5
Over/Under: 141.5 points
Moneyline: Florida -218, Tennessee +180

Florida-Tennessee injury report

Florida forward Sam Alexis is out for the game.

RELATED: Sam Alexis suffers an injury setback

Florida Gators projected starters

No.PlayerPositionHeight/WeightClassMin.Pts.Rebs.Misc.
1Walter Clayton Jr.Guard6-2, 195 poundsSr.32.317.43.74.4 ast
15Alijah MartinGuard6-2, 210 poundsGr.30.014.64.62.4 ast
5Will RichardGuard6-4, 206 poundsSr.31.513.54.61.7 stl
21Alex CondonForward6-11, 230 poundsSo.25.011.27.92.3 ast
9Rueben ChinyeluCenter6-10, 260 poundsSo.19.46.06.41.0 blk

Tennessee Volunteers projected starters

No.PlayerPositionHeight/WeightClassMin.Pts.Rebs.Misc.
5Zakai ZeiglerGuard5-9, 172 poundsSr.33.813.53.07.3 ast
15Jahmai MashakGuard6-4, 202 poundsSr.28.36.24.21.6 stl
2Chaz LanierGuard6-6, 192 pounds5th31.317.93.83.3 3fg
7Igor Milicic Jr.Forward6-10, 225 poundsSr.26.210.27.12.1 ast
34Felix OkparaForward6-11, 235 poundsJr.25.37.36.31.7 blk

Game notes

 * Florida plays for the SEC Tournament championship for the 12th time in program history, returning to the title game for the second straight season. Florida’s most recent SEC Tournament championship came in 2014, and the Gators also claimed three straight from 2005-07.

* This marks the third time the Gators have put together consecutive championship game appearances, previously reaching four in a row from 2004-07 and two straight in 2013 and 2014.

* Sunday’s game will be Florida’s program-record seventh top-10 matchup this season (five in 2006-07). The Gators are 4-2 in top-10 showdowns this season, including both games in the regular season split with Tennessee. Prior to this season, Florida had gone 6-16 in top-10 matchups.

* Florida, Duke and Houston are the only three teams in the nation’s top 10 in both offensive and defensive efficiency. Following Saturday’s 22-point win vs. Alabama, the Gators rose to #2 in the KenPom ratings.

* First-team All-American Walter Clayton Jr.’s 1,190 points over his two seasons at UF trail only the legendary Neal Walk’s scoring output over a two-season span (1,312; 1967-69). His 186 3-pointers are fourth-most by a Gator over two seasons. Clayton has made a 3-pointer in a Florida-record 55 consecutive appearances.

* Florida set an SEC Tournament record with 104 points in the semifinal win vs. No. 5 Alabama. Six Gators scored in double figures, led by Clayton’s 22 with six 3-pointers. In a quintessential college basketball moment, walk-on Bennett Andersen — a three-year manager, Tampa native, grad student and a 2025 SEC Community Service Team member — scored the record-breaking basket.

* Florida’s seven top-25 wins this season match UF’s 1999-2000 squad for the program’s second-most all-time, one shy of the 2006-07 record total of eight.

* On Saturday, Rueben Chinyelu became the first SEC player in more than 20 years to post a double-double vs. an SEC foe in just 16 minutes (Tennessee’s Andre Patterson, 2/5/05 vs. LSU). Micah Handlogten also added 10 boards in 14 minutes.

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