Behind a smothering effort on defense, Florida basketball takes down a No. 1 team for the first time ever in the regular season, beating the No. 1 Vols

Florida basketball outscored Tennessee in the paint and outrebounded UT in its historic win over the No. 1 Vols

The Florida Gators secured a historic victory on Tuesday, earning their first-ever home win against a top-ranked team by defeating 73-43. The dominant performance was fueled by an aggressive defense and a relentless effort on the offensive glass,

As a raucous sellout crowd of 11,011 looked on, the Vols managed just 4 first-half field goals while missing all 14 3-point attempts against the Gators.

Cade Phillips has a left shoulder injury before Tennessee plays at Florida on Tuesday. He is available for the Vols on the SEC injury report.

Alex Condon chipped in 12 points and 12 rebounds for his second double-double this season as the Gators beat a No. 1 team for the third time in school history.

Florida dropped three spots to No. 8 in the updated Coaches Poll released Monday after suffering its first loss to Kentucky. The Gators entered last weekend as one of three unbeaten teams remaining before losing to the Wildcats 106-100 in the SEC opener for both teams.

In front of 11,011 fans on Tuesday night in Gainesville, Florida, No. 8 Florida thumped top-ranked Tennessee 73-43 to knock off the last unbeaten team in Division I basketball, an authoritative performance that gave the Gators a 14-1 record on the season.

Florida ’s legitimacy, in an arduous SEC race and nationally, is crystal clear after the Gators’ first week of conference play — capped by Tuesday’s 73-43 rout of No. 1 and previously unbeaten Tennessee.