We did it! The Florida Gators took charge and won a must-win game at home against the No. 17 ranked Tennessee Volunteers by a final score of 75-62. I believe the Gators were No. 51 in the RPI before this game, but should rocket into the 40s after last night’s performance. Florida is now 20-8 overall (9-4 SEC), making it their twelfth straight 20-win season. If they can just win one more game they should be Tournament bound.

We had a tie game at 37-37 going into halftime, but the Gators had all the momentum. The Gators used a 27-6 run – highlighted by four 3-pointers and plenty of points in the paint – to turn a close game into a lopsided affair. The victory snapped Tennessee’s six-game winning streak in the series. The team was led by Chandler Parsons and Erving Walker who each scored 19 points. Also in double digit scoring were Vernon Macklin with 13 points and Kenny Boynton with 12.

I was really impressed with the way the Gators dominated the boards last night. For one of the first times all season they really used their height as an advantage. Florida out rebounded Tennessee 38-29. Macklin led the team with 18 boards, while Tyus and Parsons each had 8.

I’ll add a highlight video to this post once I find one on Youtube.

The Gators return to action on Saturday as they travel to Athens, Ga. to face the Georgia Bulldogs at 4 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast live on CBS.