Florida will return to their home court in hopes of securing a ranked victory over the No. 15 Lady Vols. The win would mark UF's first ranked win since 2022.
GAINESVILLE, Fla.— Florida is back on home court this Sunday for an afternoon showdown with No. 15 Tennessee. The Southeastern Conference matchup is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. ET at Exactech Arena. Carolyn Peck and Courtney Lyle are set to provide commentary for the broadcast on SECN.
Both teams enter the game riding the momentum of recent SEC victories. Florida secured a dominant 22-point win over Texas A&M, while Tennessee earned a hard-fought 88-80 triumph against No. 18 Alabama. The Gators come into the contest with a two-game winning streak, and the Lady Vols aim to stretch their current run to five.
Tennessee (20-6, 7-6 SEC)
- Date: Thurs., Feb. 23
- Time: 1 p.m. ET
- Site: Exatech Arena
- Radio: ESPN Gainesville 98.1 FM / 850 AM
- Watch: SECN
- Live stats: Statbroadcast
A Florida Victory Would:
- Secure the Gators’ first win over a ranked opponent since 2022
- Mark their 11th home win of the current season
- Become Florida’s second home victory in the month of February
- Improve their Southeastern Conference record to 6-8
- Bring Florida’s all-time SEC record to 232-333
- Give Head Coach Kelly Rae Finley her 26th SEC win at the helm of the program
TALE OF THE TAPE:
| Florida | Tennessee | |
|---|---|---|
| 76.8 | PPG | 89.9 |
| 70.1 | OPP PPG | 70.4 |
| 6.7 | SCORING MARGIN | 19.5 |
| 46.8 | FG % | 45 |
| 40.8 | OPP FG% | 43.7 |
| 33.8 | 3 FG% | 33.9 |
| 72.4 | FT % | 68.4 |
| 39.9 | REBOUNDS PG | 41.5 |
| 14.9 | ASSISTS PG | 16.2 |
| 16.9 | TURNOVERS PG | 14.8 |
| 7.3 | STEALS PG | 11.9 |
| 3.9 | BLOCKS PG | 3 |
Series Snapshot
Tennessee leads the all-time matchup against Florida with a record of 44 wins to 4
The two programs have faced off 48 times since their first meeting in 1982
Matchups by location:
- 19 games played in Gainesville
- 21 games held in Knoxville
- 8 contests at neutral venues
Recent History
- Saturday’s game marks Tennessee’s return to Exactech Arena for the first time since February 3, 2022
- In that 2022 meeting, Florida defeated the Lady Vols 84-59
- That win was Florida’s first over Tennessee in five years and their most recent victory against a ranked opponent
PROJECTED FLORIDA STARTERS:
| Florida | No. | Height | Position | Class | Hometown/Previous School |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alexia Dizeko | 9 | 5-11 | F | Sr. | Sion, Switzerland |
| Laila Reynolds | 13 | 6-1 | G | So. | PG County, MD |
| Jeriah Warren | 20 | 6-0 | G | Sr. | Lake Charles, LA |
| Liv McGill | 23 | 5-9 | G | Fr. | Minneapolis, MN |
| Ra Shaya Kyle | 24 | 6-6 | C | Sr. | Marion, Ind. / Purdue |
Florida’s Most Recent Performance
- The Gators earned a decisive 74-52 road win over Texas A&M on Thursday, Feb. 20
- Liv McGill led the scoring effort with 18 points, her 14th time topping Florida’s stat sheet
- Laila Reynolds led the team in rebounds for the first time this season, collecting nine boards
- Ra Shaya Kyle followed closely with eight rebounds
- Florida held Texas A&M to just 52 points—their lowest offensive output of the season
Gator Quick Hits
- Florida is ranked No. 4 in the SEC and No. 18 in the NCAA with a 46.8 field goal percentage
- UF has four players averaging in double digits
- McGill (16.5) Kyle (14.7), Jeriah Warren (12.1), and Laila Reynolds (10.6)
- McGill and Kyle are in the SEC's top 20 for scoring
- McGill at No. 13 (16.5), and Kyle at No. 19 (14.7)
- Florida is No. 4 in the SEC through all games for FG% (46.8) and 3-point FG percentage (33.8)
- McGill is the only freshman in the country with a triple-double this season
- McGill has tallied 11 games with 20+ points
- Kyle is No. 23 in the country and No. 3 in the SEC for double-doubles with 12
- McGill is the No. 1 freshman in the NCAA for total assists (139), and average assists per game (5.1)
- Kyle is No. 5 in the SEC for rebounds per game (9.0)
- Florida is undefeated this season when their opponent is held to 69 points or less
- The Gators have secured 20+ points in 49 of 110 quarters played this season
- Kyle is No. 9 in the NCAA and No. 3 in the SEC with a field goal percentage of 61.3
- Kyle is No. 40 in the nation for total rebounds with 243
- Alexia Gassett leads Florida in total blocks with 23 on the season
- Liv McGill has hit double figures in 25 of her 27 outings at UF
PROJECTED TENNESSEE STARTERS:
| Tennessee | No. | Height | Position | Class | Hometown/Previous School |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Talaysia Cooper | 55 | Jun-00 | G | R-So. | Turbeville, S.C. / South Carolina |
| Jewel Spear | 0 | 10-May | G | 5th | The Colony, Tx. / Colony HS |
| Ruby Whitehorn | 2 | Jun-00 | G | Jr. | Detroit, Mich./ Clemson |
| Zee Spearman | 11 | 4-Jun | F | Jr. | Dacula, Ga./ Miami |
| Samara Spencer | 7 | 7-May | G | Sr. | Fort Lauderdale, Fla./ Arkansas |
Oklahoma Quick HitS
- The Lady Vols are No. 2 in the NCAA and No. 1 in the SEC for scoring offense at 89.9 ppg
- UT is No. 10 in the conference through all games with a field goal percentage of 45.0
- Tennessee is ranked No. 15 in the nation and No. 2 in the SEC for steals per game averaging 11.9
- With 17.8 offensive rebounds per game the Lady Vols rank No. 2 in the SEC
- Cooper leads Tennessee in scoring, currently averaging 16.9 points per game
- Cooper ranks No. 10 in the SEC for scoring through all games in the 2024-25 season
- Whitehorn is among the SEC's top-15 in shooting from the field, holding a 47.2 percent
- Spencer leads the Lady Vols in assist distribution with 5.12 assists per game
- Spencer is No. 5 in the SEC for assist distribution with a combined 133 in 26 outings
- The Lady Vols are currently on a three-game win streak, defeating Auburn, Ole Miss, and Alabama in a seven-day span
- UT has defeated three ranked teams this season
- No. 17/20 Iowa 78-68 (Dec. 7)
- No. 5 UCONN 80-76 (Feb. 6)
- No. 18/19 Alabama (Feb. 20)
- Tennessee is currently 4-3 on the road and all three of their road losses were against SEC opponents
JOIN THE CONVERSATION: #GoGators
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