The Gators and Vandy are two evenly matched teams, but Vandy had the home court and foul advantage, leading to a 95-87 win. Florida (11-4, 0-1 SEC) had no chance to rally after Vernon Macklin and Erik Murphy were sent home early with five fouls. Vanderbilt (11-4, 1-0) went to the hoop every chance they got, with A.J. Ogilvy leading with 24 points. Vandy's Jeffery Taylor was perfect, 5-5 shooting and 4-4 free throws for 14 points.
Florida had a great shooting day, hitting 52% from the field and 13-27 (48%) from three-point range. But that could not overcome Vandy's 33-21 edge in free throws attempted, with Vandy making 26 to UF's 16. Kenny Boynton had 28 points (10-21, 6-14 3-pt) and Erving Walker had 22 (5-10, 5-8 3-pt) to lead UF. Macklin was the only Gator not to score in double digits as referees determined his playing time. Alex Tyus had 12 points (6-8) but had one rebound, which should not happen if you're 6-8, even if you have three fouls.
The Gators will need to Nut Up and get tough by Tuesday. That's when the Kentucky John Walls come to Gainesville.