Do you want to know if the Florida Gators men’s basketball team is for real? Afterall, they’ve won four straight SEC games and have a 15-5 overall record. Well, the Gators will get a true test on Sunday when they travel to Knoxville for a game against Bruce Pearl’s Volunteers. Tennessee has won 10 of the last 13 meetings and is riding a five game streak over the Gators heading into Sunday. Yes, this will be a tough test.

But I think the Gators can do it. Billy Donovan has them playing very smart, team ball. All five starters are averaging overall 10 points per game and no one is selfish with the ball. But where the Gators are really starting to shine is with their Guard play. The backcourt combo of Erving Walker and Kenny Boynton has come up big in the first six SEC games, as the pair is combining for 37.2 points (nearly half of UF’s 75.3 points) and 8.7 assists per game.

Alex Tyus is also turning into a star before our eyes. Tyus has been on a tear and is averaging 14.9 points and 7.5 rebounds over the last 11 games. He has been in double figures in 11 straight and has scored 15+ in six of those games. I’m really glad he didn’t transfer a year ago when he had thoughts about leaving. Without Tyus, this team wouldn’t be where they are.

Tennessee is a good, tough team. They have signature wins over Memphis and then No. 1 Kansas. If the Gators can pull out a win vs. the Vols on the road then this will be one of our signature wins. You need these types of wins to make the Tourney.