Shorthanded No. 8 Tennessee beats No. 5 Florida 64-44

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Chaz Lanier scored 19 points to lead shorthanded No. 8 Tennessee to a 64-44 win over No. 5 Florida on Saturday.

The Volunteers (18-4, 5-4 Southeastern Conference) were playing without starters Zakai Zeigler (knee) and Igor Milicic Jr. (illness).

Jordan Gainey scored 16. Felix Okpara had 10 points and eight rebounds.

Walter Clayton Jr. scored 10 for the Gators (18-3, 5-3) in the first half before injuring his left ankle. He reinjured it in the second half. The Gators shot 6 of 26 in the second half.

Tennessee took the lead at the end of the first half when Cade Phillips and Darlinstone Dubar had back-to-back blocks before Lanier drilled a 3-pointer. Clayton went down with a left ankle injury with 1:07 left.

Tennessee guard Jordan Gainey (11) shoots past Florida forward Alex Condon (21) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025, in Knoxville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Wade Payne)

Takeaways

Florida: Thomas Haugh, a 6-foot-9 power forward, has emerged as one of the top sixth men in the country. His contributions off the bench have been significant. … Center Micah Handlogten, who sustained a gruesome ankle injury at the SEC Tournament last year, was considering a comeback in February, but has decided to sit out the year.

Tennessee: If the Vols are going to have a strong finish to the season and a deep run in the postseason, senior point guard Zeigler will need to be healthy. He injured his right knee Tuesday against Kentucky.

Key moment

From the end of the first half to the first few minutes of the second, Tennessee had a 14-2 run that put the Vols ahead 30-21. Gainey had six of those points.