Vanderbilt routs No. 4 Florida in SEC Tournament as Gators' 12-game win streak snapped

Edgar Thompson, Orlando Sentinel on Mar 14, 2026

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Florida’s SEC dominance the past three months ended emphatically against Vanderbilt during a stunning and one-sided loss in the conference tournament semifinals.

The No. 4 Gators (26-7) couldn’t keep pace with the No. 22 Commodores (26-7) or slow them defensively during a 91-74 beatdown Saturday at the Bridgestone Arena, just 10 minutes away from Vanderbilt’s Nashville, Tenn., campus.

A hometown advantage didn’t matter as Mark Byington’s squad earned its most impressive win during the Commodores’ turnaround under the former James Madson coach in his second season with the school. Vanderbilt will face the Arkansas-Ole Miss winner as the Commodores seek their first SEC Tournament title since 2012.

“They’re playing at a high level now. They’re probably a one seed, defending national champions,” Byington told ESPN. “As a coach, you’re trying to give your team the best chance to win. We’re getting better and better.

“It was a fun day.”

Vanderbilt led by 15 points in the first half and built its advantage to 25 points — Florida’s largest deficit since Todd Golden’s first season in 2022-23 — to snap the Gators’ 12-game winning streak and deliver the reigning national champions their most lopsided loss of the season.

The Gators will now wait to learn Sunday evening if they’ll still earn the No. 1 NCAA Tournament seed in the South Region next week in Tampa, Fla.

Florida entered Saturday No. 4 in the NCAA’s Net rankings and an 8.5-point favorite.

But the Gators committed nine first-half turnovers leading to 20 points, and the Commodores also hit six 3-pointers. Vanderbilt shot 52% from the field (16 of 31) while UF was 11 of 30 (36.7%) to trail 47-34 at intermission.

Vanderbilt opened the second half with a 3-pointer by Ake Okereke and didn’t slow down to finish with the highest point total by a Florida opponent since Florida defeated Alabama, 99-94, on March 5, 2025.

The Gators scored their fewest points since a 76-67 loss Jan. 24 to Auburn at home, seven weeks ago. Florida didn’t lose again until Saturday, while suffering their fourth loss to the Commodores under Golden in six meetings.

The Gators needed a 3-pointer from Xaivian Lee with 45 seconds remaining to slip past Vanderbilt, 98-94, on Jan. 17 at Vanderbilt’s Memorial Gymnasium.

Saturday’s matchup shaped up to be another back-and-forth affair.

Neither team could establish an early advantage in the game that featured three lead changes and three ties during the opening seven minutes. After Vanderbilt pulled even at 14-14 with 12:44 left in the first half, the Commodores scored nine straight points for a 23-14 lead, including seven by guard Duke Miles.

During the 11-0 run, the 6-foot-2 Oklahoma graduate transfer twice drew fouls on 3-point attempts, draining the second 3-pointer and hitting the free throw after being fouled by 7-foot-1 reserve Micah Handlogten.

Florida battled back to trail 26-21 after two Rueben Chinyelu free throws following an offensive rebound. But the Commodores continued to apply the pressure. A 3-point play by Devin McGlockton and 3-pointer by Tyler Nickel made it 32-21.

Following a Chinyelu layup, Vanderbilt responded with two of its own, the second by Nickel following a turnover by Florida power forward Alex Condon as the Commodores led 36-23. Another Condon turnover, his fourth of the first half, led to a layup by Miles and a 15-point advantage at 47-32.

Condon finished with five turnovers and four fouls, but managed 13 points and seven rebounds. Small forward Thomas Haugh led Florida with 19 points and nine rebounds, while point guard Boogie Fland finished with 15 points, four assists and just one turnover.

But Lee had just seven points on 2-of-8 shooting, along with four assists and three turnovers. Chinyelu, the nation’s leading rebounder, had just six boards in 30 minutes.

Vanderbilt sophomore guard Tyler Tanner finished with a game-high 20 points on 8-of-10 shooting, eight of his team’s 23 assists and just one turnover. Sixth-man Jalen Washington had 17 points on 6-of-8 shooting as Vanderbilt finished 55% from the field.

The Commodores were also 21 of 23 from the foul line, including 10-of-10 shooting by Miles, who finished with 15 points.