Vols crush Gators to secure double-bye
Yves Pons hovered behind Scottie Lewis as the Florida guard ran down the court after a Tennessee basketball turnover Sunday.
Pons jumped when Lewis released a floater in the paint. The Vols senior spiked the shot like a volleyball, sending it bounding to the 3-pointer line.
John Fulkerson scooped the loose ball and rifled a pass ahead to Keon Johnson, who slammed a two-handed dunk and put Tennessee ahead by nine in a game it trailed by 14.
Tennessee dominated Florida for the final 24 minutes with outstanding defense in a 65-54 win at Thompson-boling Arena to secure a double-bye and the fourth seed in the SEC Tournament.
"It was a good win for us," Vols coach Rick Barnes said. "We needed it. I think a week off, from an emotional standpoint for these guys, has helped them.
Fulkerson and Pons had tremendous games on senior day. Fulkerson had 14 points and seven rebounds for the Vols (17-7, 10-7 SEC). Pons had five points and eight rebounds. Johnson and Victor Bailey Jr. also had 14 points each.
UT limited Florida (13-8, 9-7) to six second-half field goals after it had a week off after facing Auburn.
"We’ve got another week here and that’s going to be a little bit different," Barnes said. "But we just have to see if we can use it to our advantage.”
John Fulkerson carries Tennessee early
The Vols played terribly for the opening 16 minutes, but Fulkerson was the exception. The senior rose to the day in what could have been his final game at Thompson-boling Arena.
He had 10 first-half points on 5-for-7 shooting. Fulkerson capped an 8-0 Tennessee run in the final four minutes of the first half as UT cut the Florida lead to 33-28.
"For him to come out and play aggressive and with the force that he did at times is what we need. I’m happy for him," Barnes said.
Fulkerson said Wednesday he is undecided on whether he will return to Tennessee or go pro after the season.
Santiago Vescovi, Victor Bailey Jr. made turning-point plays
Santiago Vescovi had only six points, but the sophomore guard made a string of important plays for the Vols in a 90second span in the second half.
With Tennessee trailing by one, Vescovi dove for a loose ball between two Florida players. He secured it and called a timeout. He hit a midrange jumper on the following possession to give Tennessee a 42-41 lead with 12:16 to play.
He grabbed a rebound a minute later and launched a perfect pass to Bailey, who made a physical layup and drew a foul. Bailey put Tennessee ahead 47-41 for its biggest lead at the time.
Bailey Jr. sparked Tennessee in both halves. He converted a three-point play after UT fell behind 31-17, then hit a 3pointer to keep the Vols in the game.
He also hit a 3-pointer to pull UT within one early in the second half. It was initially ruled a two, then changed to a 3-pointer after official review.
Tennessee goes to the offensive glass
Pons grabbed three offensive rebounds on a single second-half possession for the Vols. He had six offensive boards in the first four minutes after halftime.
"Offensively, I was missing shots," Pons said. "The only way I could help the team was going back to what I do best, going to the glass to get rebounds. That is what I did and what the team needed."
Tennessee matched a season-high 18 offensive rebounds. The Vols outbounded Florida 38-29 after losing the battle 44-36 in their 75-49 loss on Jan. 12 at Florida.
Up next
Tennessee plays in the SEC Tournament at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville on Friday (approximately 2:30 p.m. ET, ESPN). UT will face either Florida, Texas A&M or Vanderbilt in the quarterfinals.