A red hot Vanderbilt team on the bubble proved to be too much for the 12th ranked Florida Gators, as the Commodores (17-14, 10-8) knocked off the Gators (24-7, 14-4) 73-71 on Saturday afternoon.
Florida built a 40-31 lead at halftime and led 54-42 with 12:06 to go in the game before Vanderbilt began to take control of this game. A 21-9 run for the Commodores tied the game at 63 and it was game on from that point. The Gators had chances down the stretch to pull it out, but missed opportunities such as Kasey Hill's missed layup and a last second heave that got nowhere near the basket, and Vanderbilt won their fifth contest in their last six games.
Canyon Barry led the Gators with 16 points, while KeVaughn Allen had 13 points in the losing cause. Vanderbilt was led by 24 points from Luke Kornet, who also had six rebounds. The Gators limited Vanderbilt to just 5-of-22 shooting from the three-point line, but the Commodores outscored Florida 36-34 in the paint to help key the upset.
Up next for Florida is the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament on Friday. Florida looks to get back on track in the conference tournament having lost two of their last three games.