What happened

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Fifth year guard Aliyah Martin Led all scorers with 18 points, second-year forward Alex Condon had a double-double of 12 points and 12 rebounds, and the eighth-ranked Florida Gators used their defense to make history Tuesday night, beating Southeastern Conference rival and top-ranked Tennessee 73-43 in front of a sellout Exactech Arena completely dismantled /O’Connell Center crowd for the program’s first home win against a No. 1 team.

UF led from the start, scoring the first dozen points of the game and was never really challenged after that as the Gators’ defense shut down the Volunteers and was a defense that ranked first in the nation in efficiency. Florida held Tennessee to just 21.4 percent from the floor and four for 29 (13.8 percent) from the 3-point line.

UT came into the game with the No. 28 offense in the country, averaging 79.8 points per game and was essentially suffocated on that end of the court as well.

Martin, the transfer from Florida Atlantic, hit six of his 14 field goal attempts, two of five from three and four of five free throws to go, along with six rebounds. Sophomore guard Denzel Aberdeen came off the bench, was a senior point guard and leading scorer Walter Clayton Jr. (just seven points) in early foul trouble, adding up to a season-high 16 points, including a pair of 3s. Condon recorded four assists and two blocked shots in addition to his second double-double of the season. Sophomore Center Rueben Chinyelutransfer from Washington State, grabbed a career-high 15 rebounds and was a force on the team where the Gators outscored the Vols 40-14.

UF shot just 39.7 percent in the game and made just six of 20 from distance, but those numbers dwarfed what UT managed on offense en route to just 12 field goals for the game.

The Gators took command early. Very early. They suffocated the Vols in the first half, holding them to just four field goals on 29 attempts, including 0-14 from the 3-point line, with the SEC scoring leader, Chaz Lanier (20.3 points per game) held to just two. On the other hand, UF performed well enough against this high-powered defense — 14 of 37 overall, 2 of 12 from defense — to build a 19-point lead at halftime, thanks largely to a 24-6 advantage in paint points .

Florida scored the first 12 points of the game and held UT without a field goal until the 12:38 mark. As the Vols scored six straight points to cut the Gators’ lead in half at 12-6, Florida responded with back-to-back three-pointers from Aberdeen and Will Richard to break off the run and ultimately closed the half with a 10-1 run to take a 34-15 lead into the locker room.

The Vols started the second half with a Lanier 3, but the Gators hit right back with a run of nine straight points, forcing the UT coach Rick Barnes to impose a time-out of 25 minutes after the end of the playing period. The lead grew to as many as 36 as the O’Dome celebrated one of the team’s greatest and most dominant performances of all time.

What it means

One of the greatest victories of the postal serviceBilly Donovan Epoch. The Gators have a 2-17 record against No. 1 ranked teams, with both wins coming in the NCAA Tournament (2000 Sweet 16 vs. Duke and 2007 NCAA Championship Game vs. Ohio State). According to the NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) rankings, UF now has its third Quadrant 1 win and performed great against two top-10 teams in its SEC season opener.

In the spotlight

The O’Dome crowd. What an atmosphere, six days before classes start in the second semester. And how about a nod? Todd Goldenonly the second Florida coach, joining Donovan (who did it twice), to beat a No. 1 team and the first to do it on campus.

Amazing statistics

The 30-point loss was the largest by a No. 1-ranked team in — get this — 57 years. That’s right, since UCLA (with Lev Alcinder) defeated Houston (with Elvin Hayes) with a score of 101-69 in the 1968 Final Four.

Next

Florida (14-1, 1-1) returns to the SEC this weekend with a game at Arkansas (11-3, 0-1), in its first season with John Calipari at the helm. The Razorbacks opened their league on Saturday with a 76-52 loss at Tennessee and play their conference home opener against Ole Miss on Wednesday night.

Email senior author Chris Harry at [email protected]