Skip to main content
tennessee logo

How To Watch: Tennessee vs. Florida in the SEC Tournament championship game

IMG_3593by:Grant Ramey•03/16/25•

GrantRamey

Chaz Lanier, Tennessee Basketball | Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
(Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images) Tennessee guard Chaz Lanier (2) and guard Zakai Zeigler (5) celebrate after their victory against Auburn in a Southeastern Conference tournament semifinal game at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., Saturday, March 15, 2025.

NASHVILLE — The rubber match between Tennessee and Florida will be played at Bridgestone Arena Sunday afternoon in the SEC Tournament championship game. The Vols won 64-44 when the two teams met in Knoxville on February 1, after the Gators won 73-43 in Gainesville on January 7.

Sunday’s game will be a 1 p.m. Eastern Time start on ESPN.

Tennessee (27-6), the No. 4 seed in the SEC Tournament bracket, advanced to the title game with a 70-65 win over No. 1-seed Auburn on Saturday afternoon. The Vols beat No. 13-seed Texas Friday night.

No. 2 Florida (29-4) beat No. 3 Alabama 104-82 in the second semifinal Saturday afternoon, after advancing past No. 7 Missouri Friday.

How To Watch: No. 4 Tennessee vs. No. 2 Florida

Start Time: Sunday, 1 p.m. Eastern Time

TV: ESPN

Streaming: ESPN App or WatchESPN.com

Radio: WNML-FM 99.1 in Knoxville. The Vol Network radio broadcast can be heard on local affiliates across the state of Tennessee.

KenPom Prediction: Florida 73, Tennessee 70 (40% chance to win)

The Line: Tennessee +4.5 (Total: 142.5)

ESPN Bracketology: What’s on the line

Tennessee has been projected as a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament in recent ESPN Bracketology updates, while Florida has been the final No. 1 seed.

ESPN’s Joe Lunardi reported Saturday night that Florida will be the final No. 1 seed and will be sent to the West Region on Selection Sunday.

Alabama’s 104-82 loss to the Gators on Sunday could help the Vols move ahead of the Crimson Tide on the overall seed list and help get a spot in Lexington for the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament.

Tennessee entered Saturday ranked No. 6 in the NET, with Florida at No. 4 and Alabama at No. 5. Tennessee dropped one spot after Alabama beat Kentucky 99-70 Friday night.

The Regular-Season Series: Tennessee vs. Florida

Tennessee went to Florida for its first SEC road game of the season with a No. 1 ranking and a perfect 14-0 record back on January 7. Florida quickly went to ruining that record, jumping out to a 12-0 lead to start the game and never looking back in a 73-43 win. 

Alijah Martin scored 18 points, Denzel Aberdeen had 16 points off the bench and Alex Condon had 12 points and 12 rebounds. Zakai Zeigler and Chaz Lanier scored 10 each to lead the Vols, who shot 21.4% from the floor, going 12-for-56, and 13.8% from the 3-point line, going 4-for-29.

Tennessee was shorthanded when Florida came to Knoxville three weeks later. Igor Milicic Jr. was ruled out during pregame due to an illness and Zeigler was out with the knee injury he suffered days earlier in the home loss to Kentucky.

The Vols had only seven scholarship players available, but it didn’t matter. Chaz Lanier scored a game-high 19 points, Jordan Gainey had 16 and Felix Okpara had 10 points and eight rebounds in the 64-44 win. 

Walter Clayton led Florida with 10 points as the Gators shot 24.5% from the floor, going 13-for-53, and 14.8% from the 3-point line, going 4-for-27.

Tennessee has won 10 of 12 dating back to the home win over Florida. The Gators are 11-1 since losing at Tennessee. 

You may also like