Chaz Lanier, No. 1 Tennessee, trolled by CBB fans for blowout loss to No. 8 Florida | News, results, highlights, statistics and rumors
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Chaz Lanier, No. 1 Tennessee, trolled by CBB fans for blowout loss to No. 8 Florida | News, results, highlights, statistics and rumors

Posted on by Amelia Pressman

GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA – JANUARY 7: Rueben Chinyelu #9 of the Florida Gators reacts after blocking a shot by Chaz Lanier #2 of the Tennessee Volunteers during the first half of play at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center on January 7, 2025 Gainesville, Florida. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)

James Gilbert/Getty Images

The No. 1 team and last undefeated team in college basketball has fallen.

Top-ranked Tennessee lost 73-43 to No. 8 Florida in Gainesville on Tuesday. The Vols entered the game 14-0 and benefited from a big win over No. 23 Arkansas on Saturday.

It was an uncharacteristically poor shooting night in Tennessee, as the Vols shot 21.4 percent from the field and an abysmal 13.8 percent from deep. Tennessee also only made 62.5 percent of its free throws.

The problems on offense were most noticeable with star guard Chaz Lanier, who came into the game averaging 20.3 points per game. The transfer from North Florida had just 10 points on 3 of 16 from the field and 1 of 9 from deep.

After the embarrassing loss, fans called out the Vols for not showing up in Gainesville.

Matt Norlander @Matt Norlander

Florida destroys No. 1 Tennessee; The only question now is what the final margin will be.
If you’re wondering about the worst loss ever by a No. 1, here’s the NCAA record book. No. 2 Kentucky defeated No. 1 St. John’s in 1951 by 41 points, the long-standing record. pic.twitter.com/mmqfLmFhcv

Adam Spencer @AdamSpencer4

Tennessee could be the first No. 1 team to move from the top spot to unranked.

Graham Hall @Graham Hall

Tennessee’s 43 points tonight are their fewest ever #Gators allowed in the Todd Golden era.
Florida is coming off a 30-point victory over the top-ranked team in the country.

Frank DeLuca @FrankDeLucaTV

This week, Chaz Lanier said it was “a loss” when his North Florida team lost to Florida in 2021.
North Florida lost to the Gators by 30 points in that game.
The top-ranked, undefeated Vols just lost to Florida by the same margin.

College Basketball Report @CBKReport

#1 Tennessee just played a full game against #8 Florida and took 12 shots.
In the entire 35 minutes of play, #1 Tennessee scored seven baskets.
They were just beaten by THIRTY 73-43.
Florida is dangerous.

GrizzAllDay @grizzallday

Wow, Tennessee is really terrible at basketball😭
Taking twelve shots in a game is embarrassing

The good news for Tennessee is that it will have a fairly manageable three-game span to forget Tuesday night’s dud. The Vols face Texas, Georgia and Vanderbilt before facing Mississippi State, Auburn, Kentucky and Florida again in late January.

Florida suffered its first loss of the season on Saturday against Kentucky, but the Gators quickly rebounded to score arguably the best win in all of college basketball this season. They will look to keep their momentum going when they take on Arkansas on Saturday.

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