Nashville, TN.- This one’s for all the marbles!

This afternoon (March 16) the Florida Gators and the Tennessee Volunteers faced off for the third time this season, competing for both an SEC title, but also an auto bid to the 2025 NCAA Tournament. While both the Gators and the Vols’ have more than secured bids to the big dance, these college basketball power houses were fighting for that highly coveted final #1 seed on the bracket.

It should come as no surprise that today was the Walter Clayton Jr. show. Clayton, a 6 foot 3 senior guard from Lake Wales, Florida dropped a team high 22 points, alongside 5 rebounds and 2 assists. While Walter Clayton was on fire, Florida’s depth showed once again, with a 17 point day from Will Richard and a near double-double 13 points and 9 rebounds from Alex Condon. As for Tennessee, Jordan Gainey led all scorers with a season-high 24 points, while Zakai Zeigler added 23 points, eight assists, and five rebounds.

Despite these two evenly matched squads punching it out all afternoon, Florida pulled away by crashing the glass. The Gators’ out-rebounded the Volunteers 39-25, creating multiple second chance points opportunities and flipping the court.

What does this mean going into this evening’s Selection Sunday?

Florida (30-4) is anticipated to secure a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, while Tennessee (27-7) should be receiving a No. 2 seed. Both the Gators and the Vols’ are poised for deep Tournament runs, with a possible fourth matchup easily on the table.

Cover Photo Credits: Florida Athletics