When Florida and Tennessee had their first meeting of the season, it was one of the most truly bizarre outcomes of the college basketball season. Florida has just come off a loss to Mississippi State, a game they were heavily favored in, and were seeing a Tennessee team that looked built to capitalize on Florida’s deficiencies.
To make matters worse, Florida was without Colin Castleton and Scottie Lewis. Castleton was on a major hot streak and was a key focus of Florida’s offensive attack, and Lewis was one of the few players on Florida’s wings that matched up with the athleticism and length of Tennessee’s perimeter.