The Florida Gators host a superb Tennessee Volunteers squad this Wednesday night in the O’Connell Center, and look like substantial underdogs for good reasons.
The Vols are 18-3, 7-1 in SEC play, and — for the moment — No. 1 in KenPom, the preeminent efficiency-based rankings of men’s college basketball. Solid on offense and devastating on defense, they’re probably the best team Rick Barnes has had in his stellar late-career run on Rocky Top — though, well, Barnes and Tennessee as coach and program have plenty to prove when it comes to the NCAA Tournament.