March 13, 2026; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Florida Gators forward Alex Condon (21) blocks a shot by Kentucky Wildcats guard Colin Chandler (5) in the first half at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images NASHVILLE — No. 4 Florida and No. 22 Vanderbilt will meet again Saturday afternoon in the Southeastern Conference Tournament semifinals.
This contest will serve as a rematch of one of the league’s better regular season games.
The Gators defeated the Commodores 98-94 on Jan. 17 in a game played on the Vanderbilt campus about two miles from downtown Nashville. Thomas Haugh had 18 points and eight rebounds for the Gators, who claimed a 40-26 advantage in rebounds.
It’s a familiar theme for fourth-seeded Vanderbilt (25-7), which pulled off a 46-34 upset of fifth-seeded Tennessee in the SEC quarterfinals on Friday. The Commodores rallied behind guards Duke Miles (30 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals) and Tyler Tanner (19 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists) in a 75-68 victory.
Top-seeded Florida (26-6), which has won 12 straight, withstood a late challenge with a 71-63 wire-to-wire victory over ninth-seeded Kentucky on Friday.
Alex Condon had 22 points and 10 rebounds and Xaivian Lee had 11 points and six assists for the Gators.
The winner of Florida-Vanderbilt will face either No. 3 seed Arkansas or No. 15 seed in Sunday’s SEC final.
Several teams had problems filming in the spacious Bridgestone Arena. Vanderbilt missed its first nine 3-pointers on Friday and Florida made 3 of 20, but Lee hit a big shot in the final minute to seal the win.
“I think we were a little rusty,” Gators coach Todd Golden said. “The first time we shot here was (Friday). It took me a little while to get back into the venue and feel comfortable. I thought I had missed something really cool. I’ll go back and watch the film. Of the 17 mistakes, I think 10 were public and uncontested.”
In his first match against Vanderbilt, Seung-yeop Lee hit three 3-pointers and finished with 20 points.
But Lee had three of the Gators’ 18 turnovers on Friday. Vanderbilt won the turnover battle 10-4 in their first matchup, and Tanner (19.2 points, 2.4 steals per game) and Miles (16.5, 2.6) form one of the best backcourts in the country.
Miles’ play Friday changed the game for Vanderbilt. The senior missed six games during conference play after undergoing knee surgery and had not scored more than 16 points in five games heading into Friday’s game.
“Duke, he started to come into his own last week in terms of rhythm and speed,” Vanderbilt coach Mark Byington said. “The ball in his hands was a comfort to everyone. He had great speed in his game and he made decisions. He could pass and score. He started right away and made layups right away for us. All game, big shots, big moments.”
Vanderbilt struggles with size and foul trouble, and foul-prone big men Jalen Washington (8.9 ppg, 5.8 rpg), Devin McGlockton (9.7, 6.8) and AK Okereke (9.8, 3.5) make up perhaps the largest and deepest frontcourt in the country.
That starts with their three starters – SEC Defensive Player of the Year Rueben Chinyelu (11.1, 11.7), Condon (15.0, 7.7) and Haugh (17.0, 6.1) – and extends to their top frontcourt reserve, Micah Handlogten (4.2, 6.0).
–Chris Lee (Field Level Media)
