Good morning, I’m Dan Gartland. I was looking forward to the Tennessee-Florida game all day. So much for that.

In today’s SI:AM:

🐊 No. 1 goes down
☘️ Notre Dame with a new look
⛳ On the opening night of TGL

Just a week into the new year, there are no undefeated teams left in men’s college basketball.

The Tennessee Volunteers were the last undefeated team in the country entering Tuesday night, but their run ended with a resounding loss to the Florida Gators in Gainesville.

The SEC showdown between the No. 1 Vols and No. 8 Gators seemed like the most compelling matchup on a night of men’s ball, but Tennessee was completely unlucky on offense in a 73-43 shellacking. The Vols shot a brutal 12-for-56 (21.4%) from the field, including a pitiful 4-for-29 (13.8%) from three. Tennessee has never had a lower shooting percentage in a game in school history, and its 43 points were its fewest in a game in 10 years.

The game was essentially over at halftime after Tennessee made just four of 29 shot attempts (13.8%) and fell behind 34-15 at the break. Star senior Chaz Lanierwho had averaged 20.3 points in the team’s first 14 games and had an incredible 46.7% shooting percentage through three games, had just 10 points on 3 of 16 shooting (1 of 9 from three). Lanier achieved his season high with seven rebounds, but Tennessee clearly lost the battle along the boards 55:38.

“When you get beaten so badly on the boards, it’s hard to win.” Vols coach Rick Barnes said.

Barnes cited interior play as the main reason for his team’s loss.

“We need to play better from our front,” Barnes said. “I thought they came out on top, which I thought made the difference in the game.”

The victory was just Florida’s third victory over a No. 1-ranked team in school history and the Gators’ first since their victory over Ohio State in the 2007 national championship game. It’s breathtaking to see the top team in the country beaten by 30 points, but The game highlighted Tennessee’s weaknesses and also made Florida a serious contender in the SEC.

The Vols are a defense-first team. They ranked 13th in defensive efficiency last season and second this season. Their defense wasn’t bad on Tuesday, holding Florida to its season average of 87.3 points per game and limiting the Gators’ shooting percentage to 39.7. The problem for Tennessee was clearly the offense. Lanier and senior point guard Zakai Zeigler are the foundation of the Vols’ offense, and both struggled against the Gators. Lanier leads the SEC in scoring and Zeigler leads the conference in assists per game. Senior Jordan Gainey is also a key offensive player for the Vols – a bench player capable of scoring in volumes – but against Florida he managed just seven points on 1 of 11 shooting. Tennessee’s offense is generally solid (ranks 50th nationally in points per 100 possessions), but there’s no way it could have survived the nights of all three of these players.

These difficulties speak to Florida’s significant improvement on defense. Last season, the Gators were among the worst defensive teams in the country, ranking 337th in points allowed per game and 258th in defensive efficiency. (It should come as no surprise, then, that their season ended with a 102-100 loss to the Colorado Buffaloes in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.) This year, however, Florida boasts one of the best defenses in all of college basketball. The Gators are allowing 64.9 points per game, good for 42nd in the nation, and rank ninth nationally in defensive efficiency. They are the only team in the country that ranks in the top 10 in both offensive and defensive efficiency.

Elsewhere in the SEC, the No. 2 Auburn Tigers secured an 87-82 road win over the Texas Longhorns on Tuesday and should be the No. 1 team in the AP Poll next week if they can avoid an upset Saturday against the South Carolina Gamecocks. The No. 6 Kentucky Wildcats lost to the Georgia Bulldogs in Athens, another example of how intense the conference is. Four of Kentucky’s next five games come against SEC opponents currently ranked in the top 15. The most interesting thing to watch in the next two months of college basketball will be who wins this top-tier conference.

…things I saw last night:

5. Stephen Curry’s crossover that left Nikola Jovic in the dust. (However, it was a tough night for the Warriors, who fell to the Heat 114-98, resulting in… excited post-game press conference from Curry.)
4. Zion Williamson’s 360 dunk upon his return after a 27-game absence.
3. Cooper Flags thunderous plunge right on a Pitt defender.
2. LeBron James’ hand switch in the air for one stunning dunk.
1. Trae Young’s game-winning shot at the buzzer from beyond halfcourt.