Florida's cold blooded second-half destroyed Tennessee last night in a 85-74 win in the SEC Tournament. Today, the Gators face Vanderbilt in the SEC Semifinals.
The Gators were down at the half and looked to be sleep walking. They then scored 56 points in the second half, missing only three shots in the half. UF shot an astounding 59 percent from the field. (UF shot 82 percent in the second half.) Of course, they still shot below 70 percent at the line, but they were 25 of 37 from the line. UF ran over and around the Vols, when they were not being fouled.
The five starters were in double figures, with Kenny Boynton's 22 points leading the way. Boynton was 10-10 at the line, as well.
Just like against Tennessee, UF can go for the three-game sweep today against Vanderbilt. The Commodores defeated Mississippi State yesterday. In their first game, UF defeated Vandy in overtime in Gainesville. In the season finale, the Gators won at Nashville to win the SEC regular season.
Once again, UF has to overpower an opponent to win. UF is not going to shoot 80 percent again in the second half, so getting to the line remains crucial. Vanderbilt played the late game, so UF should not have any sort of energy advantage. But they need to crash the boards, which were crucial in the previous two meetings.