In a thrilling college basketball contest between the defending national champion in No. 19 Florida (13-5, 4-1 SEC) and No. 10 Vanderbilt (16-2, 3-2 SEC), it was the Gators who got the last laugh.
Florida won 98-94 after Tyler Tanner missed a potential game-tying layup and Alex Condon nailed a pair of game-clinching free throws.
The win is just the ninth victory in Florida history on the road against a top-10 team. Xaivian Lee and Rueben Chinyelu led the Gators with 20 points each, while Tyler Tanner led Vanderbilt with 20 of his own.
“Florida has their swagger back,” ESPN analyst Jimmy Dykes said.
Florida started conference play with a loss to Missouri, but the Gators have won four in a row over No. 21 Georgia, No. 24 Tennessee, Oklahoma and the Commodores.
Vanderbilt slightly reeling
Meanwhile, Vanderbilt is headed in the opposite direction.
The Commodores were one of the best stories in college basketball to start conference play, but were thoroughly outplayed by Texas on Jan. 14 in an 80-64 loss. They won’t get a chance to rest, either, having to travel to Fayetteville to take on No. 17 Arkansas on Tuesday.
The Gators may have their swagger back, but the Commodores are losing theirs. As conference play rolls on, expect both Florida and Vandy to stay in the thick of the SEC race.
