GAINESVILLE, Fla. — A battle between two of the SEC’s top defenses is set to take place Saturday night, as No. 3 Tennessee goes on the road for the second time this week to face Florida in Exactech Arena/O’Connell Center.

The game will tip at 6 p.m. ET and will be televised on ESPN and can also be viewed online through WatchESPN. Fans can listen live on their local Vol Network affiliate to hear Bob Kesling and Bert Bertelkamp describing the action.

Tennessee (13-1, 2-0 SEC) enters the matchup on the heels of an 87-63 win on the road against Missouri. Kyle Alexander dominated the paint with 14 points, a career-high 17 rebounds and three blocks for his third double-double of the season–and second in a row. During the last four games, the senior forward is shooting 81 percent (25-of-31) from the field during and is averaging 13.3 ppg during span.

Florida (9-5, 1-1 SEC) rebounded from a loss at home last Saturday to South Carolina by going on the road and defeating Arkansas in Bud Walton Arena. The Gators boast one of the best defenses in the country, ranking eighth in scoring defense (60.0 ppg) and coming in at 23rd in field-goal percentage defense (.389). UF has held six opponents to fewer than 60 points already this season, including Arkansas, Stanford and West Virginia.

After Saturday’s showdown, Tennessee returns home for a game against the Arkansas Razorbacks on Tuesday night. The game will tip at 7 p.m. and will be televised on ESPN2. There are still tickets remaining for the game that can be purchased on AllVols.com.

THE SERIES
• Tennessee leads the all-time series with Florida, 74-57 dating to 1927.
• The Gators have a 35-25 edge when the series is played in Gainesville.
• This is the first of two Vols-Gators clashes this season. Tennessee hosts Florida on Feb. 9 (sold out).

A WIN WOULD…
• Extend Tennessee’s win streak to 10 games. The Vols’ last 10-game win streak came during the 2007-08 campaign, when UT reeled off 11 straight victories from Nov. 27 through Jan. 19.
• Give the Vols a five-game win streak in true road games, dating to last season.
• Give Tennessee 18 wins away from home since the start of last season.

STORYLINES
• Per ESPN Stats & Info, Tennessee is the first major-conference team in the last 20 years to have a +70 point differential through its first two league games.
• Tennessee’s SEC margin of victory through those two league games stands at a robust 35 points.
• Tennessee associate head coach Rob Lanier was an assistant coach under Billy Donovan at Florida from 2007-11.
• UT leads the country in assist/turnover ratio (1.82), ranks second in assists per game (20.8 apg) and third in blocks per game (6.2 bpg).
• The Vols have shot 50 percent or better in 11 games this season (and eight of their last nine).
• Tennessee has yet to face a double-digit deficit this season.
• Tennessee is off to its best 14-game start since also starting the season 13-1 in 2007-08.
• With an average attendance of 17,499, Tennessee ranks fourth nationally.

LAYUPS
• Grant Williams leads the SEC in scoring (18.8 ppg), ranks second in field-goal percentage (.572), seventh in assists (3.9 apg) and ninth in rebounding (7.8 rpg).
• Admiral Schofield is the SEC’s second-leading scorer (18.0 ppg), and his .449 3-point percentage ranks second in the league.
• Williams and Schofield both earned a spot on the 25-man Wooden Award Midseason Watch List.
• Kyle Alexander has opened SEC play with consecutive double-doubles. He averages 13.0 points and 15.5 rebounds over the last two games.
• Jordan Bowden is coming off back-to-back 20-point games to open SEC play. In those games, Tennessee is +63 when Bowden is on the floor.
• Junior guard Lamonté Turner, last season’s SEC Co-Sixth Man of the Year, returned from a left shoulder injury just in time for SEC play.

ABOUT FLORIDA
• In his fourth season, Mike White continues to keep Florida (9-5, 1-1 SEC) competing at a high level, entering Saturday’s matchup on the heels of a 57-51 victory in Bud Walton Arena against Arkansas.
• In non-conference play, the Gators boast wins against Butler, Stanford and West Virginia—the latter two on neutral courts.
• UF is one of the most talented teams in the SEC this season. Florida has played one of the toughest schedules in the country with games at Florida State, vs. Oklahoma and Michigan State, who are all currently ranked in the AP Top 25.
• Senior guard KeVaughn Allen (10.9 ppg, 2.6 apg, 1.6 spg) has been the best player for Florida this season, leading the team in scoring and steals while ranking second in assists.
• Noah Locke (10.0 ppg, .424 3fg%) is the team’s other double-digit scorer. The freshman guard is far and away Florida’s most dangerous 3-point shooter, with nearly double the amount of threes as any other Gator. Of his field goals this year, 77 percent (36 of 47) have come from beyond the arc.
• The paint has been dominated by Kevarrius Hayes, who leads the team in rebounding (5.9 rpg) and blocks (2.0 bpg) while averaging 6.7 points per game.
• For the second game in a row, UT will face one of the league’s best defensive teams. The Gators allow a league-best 60 points per game while also holding them to 39-percent shooting from the floor. Florida has held six opponents to fewer than 60 points already this season, including Arkansas, Stanford and West Virginia.

LAST MEETING VS. FLORIDA
•  Grant Williams scored 23 points and No. 19 Tennessee outlasted Florida at home on Feb. 21, 2018, at Thompson-Boling Arena, 62-57.
•  Williams scored 11 of the Vols’ last 18 points, while Tennessee as a team made eight of its last 11 field-goal attempts to edge out the Gators. Tennessee led by as many as 10 points on two separate occasions in the second half, but Florida fought back each time.
•  With the Vols leading 37-36 midway through the second half, Tennessee and Florida exchanged baskets before a Jordan Bowden breakaway dunk sparked a 15-6 Tennessee run to put the Big Orange in front by 10 for a second time in the half, 52-42.
•  After starting the game 2-for-18 from 3-point range, Florida then proceeded to made three of its next four from long distance to stay on pace, but the Gators never got closer than three points for the rest of the game.
•  Bowden made three of four free throws in the final 30 seconds to seal the game for Tennessee.
•  In addition to Williams’ 23 points, junior Admiral Schofield scored 16 points and pulled down a team-high eight rebounds for the Vols.
•  Jalen Hudson had 13 points, while Chris Chiozza and Keith Stone had 11 for Florida.
•  The Vols held Florida to its lowest first half scoring output of the season, as the Gators’ 18 points at the break were 11 fewer than their previous low of 29.
•  With the win over Florida, Tennessee earned its 25th 20-win season in program history and first since 2013-14, when the Vols finished with 24 victories and advanced to their seventh Sweet Sixteen.

MEMORABLE VOL PERFORMANCES AGAINST FLORIDA
• The legendary Bernard King recorded the third-best scoring performance in school history with a 43-point, 20-rebound effort as the Vols topped the Gators 93-84 on January 17, 1976, in Stokely Athletics Center.
• During the 1983-84 season, Willie Burton averaged 16.7 points, 9.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists and shot .500 (17-of-34) from the floor against the Gators. UT was 3-0 vs. Florida that season.
• Dane Bradshaw’s breakaway layup with 20.1 seconds to play proved to be the winning basket as the Vols upset second-ranked Florida 80-76 in Knoxville on Jan. 21, 2006.
• The Vols upset fifth-ranked Florida 86-76 on Senior Day in Knoxville behind Chris Lofton’s 21 points on Feb. 27, 2007. ESPN College GameDay broadcast live from Rocky Top, Peyton Manning addressed the Vols in the locker room before the game, and Pat Summitt donned cheerleader garb and led the sold-out crowd in a rendition of Rocky Top during a media timeout.

ROAD WARRIORS
• Dating to the start of last season, Tennessee has won 17 games away from home.
• That includes victories this year over Louisville and Gonzaga (both at neutral sites) and at Memphis and Missouri.

SEC MARGIN OF VICTORY GAUDY
• Two games into league play—one home, one road—the Vols have wins over Georgia (by 46 points) and Missouri (by 24 points).
• That gives Tennessee an SEC margin of victory of 35 points.

WINDICATORS
• Tennessee under Rick Barnes is 32-3 when holding its opponent below a .390 field-goal percentage.
• Tennessee under Rick Barnes is 31-3 when it takes a double-digit lead into halftime.
• Tennessee is 10-0 this season when it shoots 50 percent or better as a team.
• UT is 13-3 during Kyle Alexander’s career when he scores 10 or more points.
• The Vols are 10-1 during John Fulkerson’s career when he grabs five or more rebounds.
• Tennessee is 7-1 during Lamonté Turner’s career when he makes four or more 3-pointers.
• Tennessee has won the last six games in which Grant Williams has logged a double-double.

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KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The No. 13-ranked Tennessee Lady Vols fell, 73-71, to the 16th-ranked Kentucky Wildcats on Thursday night at Thompson-Boling Arena.

The Lady Vols (12-3, 1-2 SEC) trailed by two points after a pair of free throws from Meme Jackson with one minute remaining, but a three-pointer from Wildcats guard Jaida Roper put the game out of reach for the Big Orange.

Sophomore point guard Evina Westbrook led the charge offensively for the Lady Vols with 20 points, marking her seventh performance of the season of 20 or more points, and added six rebounds. Sophomore Rennia Davis (12 points) and freshman Mimi Collins (career-high-tying 11 points) were the other Tennessee players with double-digit scoring. Senior Cheridene Green dominated the glass with a career-high 15 rebounds.

Kentucky (15-2, 2-1 SEC) was propelled by a 27-point night from senior guard Maci Morris, who connected at a 4-of-6 clip from deep range and shot over 60 percent from the field.

The Lady Vols fought from behind the entire game and cut the Wildcats’ lead to four points six times in the fourth quarter and then shaved the edge to two with 1:43 remaining.

Kentucky kicked off the first quarter on a 7-0 run on 3-of-4 shooting, with Tennessee first getting on the scoreboard at the 7:10 mark with a layup from Westbrook. The Lady Vols started off the game 1-of-6 from the field, as the Wildcats rushed to a 19-5 lead at the halfway point of the quarter. Despite their rough start shooting, Tennessee found some life after holding Kentucky to a two-minute scoring drought. A last-second layup to finish the first quarter cut the Wildcats’ lead to 27-16 after 10 minutes of play.

The Lady Vols defense clamped down to begin the second quarter, and an and-one from Westbrook at the 5:37 mark cut the Tennessee deficit to just eight points. However, the Lady Vols failed to score in the three following minutes, going 0-for-6 from the floor in the span. While dominating the boards by a 29-16 margin in the first half, Tennessee was unable to take advantage of second-chance opportunities. Still, a team-high 11-point first-half performance from Collins helped the Lady Vols trim a 17-point UK lead to a 38-28 deficit at halftime.

The Lady Vols’ shooting woes continued, as Zaay Green provided all but one of Tennessee’s points through six minutes of play in the third quarter. The Lady Vols faced a 53-38 climb with two minutes remaining in the quarter, as only three Tennessee players scored through eight minutes into the second half. The Lady Vols clawed back into the game behind a pair of 3-pointers from Rennia Davis to end the quarter. Davis’ clutch 3-pointers were Tennessee’s first of the game and presented the Lady Vols a 58-46 deficit going into the final quarter.

Tennessee stormed back with a Meme Jackson 3-pointer, followed by a post layup from Cheridene Green that cut the Kentucky lead to just four points with five minutes left in regulation. The Lady Vols held the Wildcats to just 1-of-6 shooting from the floor to start the fourth quarter, while firing in shots at a 5-of-6 clip on the other end.

After cutting the Kentucky lead to just two points with under two minutes remaining, a dagger 3-pointer from Roper extended the Wildcats’ lead to 69-64. Kentucky iced the game at the free throw line, giving the Wildcats a 73-71 victory.

Up Next: The Lady Vols will hit the road, traveling to Georgia on Sunday. The game is scheduled to tip at 3 p.m. and will be televised on ESPN.

Big On The Boards: Tennessee out-rebounded Kentucky 50-32 and is averaging 44.7 rpg. in SEC play while holding opponents to an average of 31.7 rpg.  UT has now topped 13 of 15 opponents on the glass this season.

Bench Contributing: In their first two SEC games the Lady Vols’ bench contributed a total of only nine points, all of which were scored by Jazmine Massengill. Tennessee’s bench posted 14 points against Kentucky with Mimi Collins, Rae Burrell, and Kasiyahna Kushkituah all contributing. Collins led the bench is scoring, tying her career high of 11.

Cheridene Rolling: Cheridene Green has led the team in rebounding and set new career highs in back-to-back games, snagging 14 against Missouri and 15 vs. Kentucky. Additionally, she posted a career-high four assists against Kentucky.

20+ Evina: Evina Westbrook recorded her seventh 20+ point performance of the season, setting a new SEC high of 20 points against Kentucky.

UT Athletics

Tennessee football great John Michels passed away on Thursday at the age of 87.

Michels, who wore No. 38, was a 1952 consensus All-American and a two-time All-SEC First Team selection at offensive guard. He helped lead the Vols to the consensus national championship and a 10-0 regular season in 1951. The Vols’ offense rushed for 3,068 yards (306.8 yards per game) and 40 touchdowns – both school records – in 1951.

During his senior season in 1952, Michels was awarded the Jacobs Trophy, given to the SEC’s best blocker. In his three years of varsity football, Tennessee compiled a record of 29-4-1.

His bio in the 1952 Tennessee football media guide stated Michaels was “considered by the coaching staff to be the finest offensive guard in Tennessee football history.”

Additionally, legendary former Tennessee head coach Gen. Robert R. Neyland said Michels was the “best blocking guard in the United States.”

A Philadelphia, Pa., native, Michels went on to play for the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFL in 1953 and 1956 before spending one season with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the CFL in 1957. He was an assistant coach at Texas A&M for one season, and helped the Blue Bombers capture three CFL Grey Cups as assistant coach.

Michels served as an assistant coach with the Minnesota Vikings for 27 years, coaching primarily the offensive line and helping lead the team to four Super Bowl appearances.

Michels was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1996 and the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame in 1999.

Georgia Tech. Gonzaga. North Carolina. Wake Forest.

Since taking over as Tennessee’s head coach in 2015-16, Rick Barnes has made a habit of lining the Vols’ schedule with marquee non-conference opponents.

On Thursday, Barnes announced a two-game, home-and-home series with Wisconsin, setting up meetings between the Volunteers and Badgers in each of the next two seasons.

The Vols will first welcome Wisconsin to Thompson-Boling Arena on Dec. 28, 2019, before traveling to Madison to face off against the Badgers on Nov. 11 during the 2020-21 season.

UW’s Kohl Center holds more than 17,000 fans and ranks as the NCAA’s 10th-toughest venue for road teams, with only 49 opponents leaving with a win since 1998.

Having just met four times since 1981, the all-time series between the programs is tied at 2-2. Tennessee swept the first two games, earning a win in 1981 and again in 2000 after downing a ranked Wisconsin team in Knoxville. The Badgers have since won two in a row, including a 65-62 victory over Tennessee in Madison on Dec. 29, 2001, and a more recent triumph at the 2016 Maui Invitational.

Greg Gard is in his fourth season as head coach at Wisconsin and led the program to back-to-back Sweet Sixteen appearances in each of his first two seasons at the helm. He was named the 2016 Jim Phelan National Coach of the Year and owns the third-highest winning percentage in program history, piloting the Badgers to a record of 57-36 (.613) through three full seasons.

This year, Wisconsin is off to an 11-4 start and boasts a 72-66 win over 14th-ranked Iowa. The Badgers are receiving votes in both major top-25 polls and come in at No. 19 in the NCAA’s NET rankings.

Tennessee owns a 23-34 all-time record against current members of the Big 10.

The Vols’ last game against a Big Ten opponent was memorable, as Tennessee upset 18th-ranked Purdue at last season’s Battle 4 Atlantis.

Tennessee’s last contract with a Big Ten program was a two-game series with Ohio State in 2006-07 and 2007-08. Each team won at home.

Barnes is 29-29 versus Big 10 opposition and has coached against the Badgers five times during his career.

Wisconsin boasts four Final Four appearances and a national championship in 1941.

Tennessee strength & conditioning coach Garrett Medenwald is a native of Green Bay, Wisconsin.

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