Drought dehydrates Vols

The energy was there. The crowd was into it.

It didn't look like the same Tennessee basketball team that had laid a rebounding egg against Alabama four days earlier.

The Vols had Florida in their sights, lined up and primed for an upset - until the final four minutes.

Clutch time is when the Gators scurried away for an 84-73 victory at Thompson-Boling Arena on Saturday.

Rewind to past performances against South Carolina, Louisville, Auburn and Vanderbilt. It all looked familiar.

The clutch play that helped UT beat LSU 77-55 a week ago didn't materialize against the Gators.

"It's real difficult," UT senior Brandon Crump said after a strong 16-point performance. "You look at the Auburn game and you look at the Vanderbilt game. We're leading so much of the game, and your energy level is high."

Then comes the drought.

"Tonight," Crump said, "the last few minutes, (Matt) Walsh hits a big three and your heart drops."

Heart dropping and gut wrenching summarize a 1-6 stretch the Vols have found themselves in since beating Florida in Gainesville.

The Vols had a 65-64 lead after a three-point play from Major Wingate with 7:42 remaining.

Walsh, who led the Gators with 23 points and got Florida off to a hot start, hit his fourth 3-pointer of the night at the 5:30 mark to make it 71-67

UT (11-13, 4-7 SEC) still trailed by only four, 75-71, with 3:32 remaining.

Drought time. Tennessee didn't score again until Dane Bradshaw's drive to the basket with 33.9 seconds left. By then, Florida (15-6, 7-3) had pulled away to an eight-point cushion by hitting 11 of 14 free throws.

"Everybody was pretty much panicking when we needed the shots," Crump said. "We just really couldn't make anything the last 10 seconds of every shot clock.

"Florida gets so many offensive rebounds on one play. Then we come down and the ball goes in and out."

UT coach Buzz Peterson hated the last few minutes, but he liked the overall effort as the Vols hit 50 percent from the floor and committed only seven turnovers.

"I'm disappointed in the outcome and the final score, but I thought our kids fought hard," he said. "Give Florida a lot of credit.

"They stepped up and made some big plays. I thought Walsh's three was huge. We did a good job on the boards until late when they got some second and third opportunities."

Florida managed to outrebound UT 39-28, but it was nothing like the 43-19 mismatch the Vols suffered through against Alabama.

Senior center David Lee was a force for the Gators this time.

He scored 21 points, including 9-of-9 from the free-throw line, and had 12 rebounds. Lee had just one field goal during UT's upset victory in Gainesville.

"It was a courageous win," Florida coach Billy Donovan said. "Tennessee was ready to play and played hard and aggressive.

"I thought they played as well as they did in Gainesville, but the difference might have been the 3-point line. They hit nine of them in Gainesville and five tonight."

The Vols were 5-for-15 on 3-pointers, three of those coming from C.J. Watson. UT's junior point guard finished with 15 points, his seventh game in a row to reach double figures.

Scooter McFadgon added 10, but was 4-for-11 from the field and 0-for-3 on 3-pointers.

Wingate finished with nine points, while Andre Patterson and Chris Lofton had eight apiece.

"Our backs are against the wall," Wingate said. "All we can really do is fight our way out of it."

Crump's play in his second game back from an ankle injury was the highlight for UT.

He hit his first seven shots, but took only nine total.

"I felt better than I felt last game," he said. "I just wanted to produce as much as I could, but I got a little fatigued in second half."

Notebook: Maryville native Lee Humphrey came off the Florida bench to contribute eight points, including two 3-pointers. UF freshman Corey Brewer, another Tennessee native from Portland, had nine points and 10 rebounds. Jemere Hendrix, who hadn't played since the loss at Auburn, logged 18 minutes and failed to score. The Vols have a week off to prepare for a road trip to Mississippi next Saturday.