Tennessee basketball vs Florida prediction, pick: SEC Tournament championship game scouting report
NASHVILLE − Tennessee basketball is playing for its second SEC Tournament title under coach Rick Barnes.
The No. 4 seed Vols (27-6) play the No. 2 seed Florida (29-4) on Sunday (1 p.m. ET, ESPN) at Bridgestone Arena. It is UT's fourth conference title game appearance in seven seasons. The Vols won the 2022 title against Texas A&M.
Here is what to know about the matchup:
Should Tennessee basketball be a No. 1 seed in March Madness bracket?
Before Tennessee played Auburn, ESPN's Joe Lunardi indicated that the winner of Florida and Alabama would likely secure the fourth No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
The Vols then beat Auburn, but it seemingly won't have an affect on their odds of claiming a No. 1 seed for the first time in program history.
Auburn, Duke and Houston already were etched in stone as No. 1 seeds prior to Saturday.
Tennessee and Florida split the regular-season matchups
Tennessee had its worst loss of the regular season at Florida and arguably its best win of the regular season against the Gators.
The Vols were thumped 73-43 by the Gators on Jan. 7 in Gainesville, Florida.
It was UT's lowest-scoring game under Barnes. It also was the worst shooting game in Barnes' 10 seasons as the Vols shot 21.4%. Tennessee was outrebounded 55-38 and Florida had a 40-14 margin in points in the paint.
Tennessee won 64-44 against Florida on Feb. 1 at Food City Center.
The Vols had seven scholarship players available with Zakai Zeigler injured and Igor Milicic Jr. dealing with an illness. Chaz Lanier led the Vols with 19 points, including a pair of crushing 3-pointers in the final 10 minutes. Jordan Gainey put on a masterful performance in Zeigler's stead, scoring 16 points and running the offense.
How Tennessee and Florida reached the SEC Tournament title game
Tennessee knocked out Auburn in a 70-65 win Saturday in the first semifinal behind 20 points from Zeigler and elite late-game defense. The Gators followed with a dominant performance in a 104-82 win against No. 3 seed Alabama.
Tennessee topped Texas 83-72 win in the quarterfinals. Lanier scored 23 points with 19 in the first half. Zeigler scored 19 second-half points and Jahmai Mashack had 13 points and seven rebounds.
The Gators beat Missouri 95-81 in a quarterfinal matchup.
Tennessee basketball vs Florida score prediction in SEC Tournament
Florida 75, Tennessee 69: Florida's offense is punishing teams in Nashville. It won't do that to Tennessee, but still will have enough to win.
Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.com and follow him on X @ByMikeWilson or Bluesky @bymikewilson.bsky.social. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee vs Florida prediction, odds: Our 2025 SEC Tournament pick
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