(4) Tennessee will attempt to capture its second SEC Tournament championship in the last four years on Sunday afternoon against (2) Florida.
The Vols and Gators will battle for the SEC Tournament crown as the two longtime rivals face off for a third time this season.
Florida destroyed Tennessee in Gainesville in the first meeting, 73-43, but the Vols came back to earn a blowout of their own in Knoxville, 64-44. Sunday’s tournament finale will be the rubber match before the NCAA Tournament begins next week around the country.
Tennessee earned its spot in the championship game with tournament wins over Texas and Auburn while Florida enters the game after wins over Missouri and Alabama.
Here’s everything you’ll need to know before Sunday’s SEC Tournament championship clash from Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, TN:
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How To Watch — No. 8 Tennessee (27-6, 12-6 SEC) vs. No. 4 Florida (29-4, 14-4 SEC)
- Date: Sunday, Mar. 16, 2025
- Start Time: 1:00 p.m. ET, Noon CT
- Location: Bridgestone Arena – Nashville, TN
- Television: ESPN
- Online Streaming: Watch ESPN
- Radio: The Vol Network/The Tennessee Athletics App
Betting Lines (3/15 at 6:45 p.m. ET)
- Spread: Florida -4.5, Tennessee +4.5
- ML: Florida -205, Tennessee +168
- Over/Under: 142.5
- Spread: Florida -4.5, Tennessee +4.5
- ML: Florida -218, Tennessee +180
- Over/Under: 141.5
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Probable Starters
Tennessee (via last game):
Florida (via last game)
Team Statistics (via KenPom)
Tennessee:
Florida:
Individual Stat Leaders
Tennessee:
Points: Chaz Lanier — 18.1 PPG, 43.7 FG%, 40.5 3PT%
Rebounds: Igor Milicic — 7.3 RPG, 5.3 DRPG, 2 ORPG
Assists: Zakai Zeigler — 7.4 APG, 3.0 TOPG, 33.8 MPG
Florida:
Points: Walter Clayton Jr. – 17.3 PPG, 44.7 FG%, 84.8 FT%
Rebounds: Alex Condon – 8.0 RPG, 4.9 DRPG, 3.1 ORPG
Assists: Walter Clayton Jr. – 4.4 APG, 2.4 TOPG, 32.4 MPG
Last Five Games
Tennessee:
- 70-65 win against Auburn (SEC Tournament)
- 83-72 win against Texas (SEC Tournament)
- 75-65 win versus South Carolina
- 78-76 loss at Ole Miss
- 79-76 win versus Alabama
Florida:
- 104-82 win against Alabama (SEC Tournament)
- 95-81 win against Missouri (SEC Tournament)
- 90-71 win against Ole Miss
- 99-94 win at Alabama
- 89-70 win against Texas A&M
Prediction
It’s not easy to pick a matchup between two truly heavyweight contenders. Tennessee and Florida enter the game on Sunday as winners of their first two games in the SEC Tournament; Tennessee has won four of its last five games while Florida is unbeaten in its last five.
There are good routes to victory for the Volunteers on Sunday, primarily involving stout defense and a combination of big scoring from Tennessee’s guards. Florida, though, has been on fire recently. The Gators have won their last five games by an average of 15.8 points per game and only has one win of fewer than 14 points in their last five games.
I see a highly competitive game taking place in Nashville on Sunday, and while Tennessee has every chance to win with how great things have looked in the tournament so far, Florida has been a juggernaut in recent weeks. But I’m giving the slight, slight edge to Tennessee because I’m curious if the Vols’ defense can shock the Gators into a bit of a freeze. Still, though, I’m remembering just how great Florida has been recently. It’s going to be a battle for whoever wins this rivalry toss-up.
Anything can happen – It is the SEC Tournament after all. It just means more, right?
Stay tuned to RTI for live, on-site coverage of the game on Sunday afternoon.
