5Tennessee 89 - 86 Florida
Final
  for this game

Tennessee can clinch SEC East, set school record for wins

Mar 5, 2008 - 1:11 PM No. 4 Tennessee (26-3) at Florida (21-8) 9:00 pm EST

GAINESVILLE, Florida (Ticker) - Although Tennessee did not last long as the No. 1 team in the polls, the fourth-ranked Volunteers have bigger things on their minds.

Tennessee attempts to break the school record for wins in a season and clinch the East Division of the Southeastern Conference when they visit Florida on Wednesday.

The Volunteers (26-3, 12-2 SEC East) hold a two-game lead over Kentucky (10-4) after defeating the Wildcats, 63-60, on Sunday. Tyler Smith scored 15 points and Chris Lofton added 14 to lead Tennessee, which bounced back from a loss at Vanderbilt during its first week as the nation's top-ranked team.

One more victory will eclipse the 1999-2000 squad (26-7) for the most wins in school history and guarantee at least a share of the SEC regular-season crown, which they have not won outright in 41 years. Mississippi State (11-3) has clinched the West Division.

The Gators (21-8, 8-6), who are coming off a 68-59 defeat to Mississippi State on Saturday, are looking to solidify a spot in the NCAA Tournament.

Marreese Speights had his third straight double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds while leading scorer Nick Calathes had 18 points in the loss. Freshman Calathes leads the team in scoring at 15.6 per contest.

The Volunteers won the first meeting, 104-82, on February 5.






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