NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Three years removed from winning a postseason title, Tennessee basketball has a chance to do it again.

Two of the most successful teams in the toughest conference in NCAA history, the Vols and Gators face off for the third time with a rubber match game on deck.

Tennessee (27-6) comes in with a pair of wins over Texas and Auburn. Florida (29-4) matches with wins over Missouri and Alabama. Now, there is business to be settled.

Follow along for live updates from The Daily Beacon.

3:03 2H: Tennessee is playing without Lanier and Mashack as they have fouled-out. The Vols trail by nine points.

7:57 2H: Walter Clayton hits a 3-pointer and Florida pushes the lead to eight points. 

9:21 2H: Jordan Gainey drills a three, then gets an and-1 on the next possession as the crowd erupts. Tennessee had made four of its last five shots while Gainey is on a 6-0 run.

11:56 2H: Tennessee’s intensity on defense has picked up and the Vols are doing everything it can to out-hustle the Gators. Florida holds an 11-point lead but Zeigler heads to the line for a pair after the break.

14:38 2H: Tennessee is still getting out-worked by the Gator bigs. Florida is in control this second half.

Florida 50, Tennessee 39

HALFTIME: Florida 39, Tennessee 30

Aberdeen hits a deep 3-point shot to give Florida a larger advantage at the break. Tennessee is struggling to keep up with the Gators, where depth is proving to be the difference. 

0:16.3: Zakai Zeigler buries a massive triple from the far wing to cut the deficit to three points. Florida wants a timeout and the last shot of the half. 

3:59 1H: Chaz Lanier breaks the drought with a jumper. Tennessee goes more than six minutes without a field goal, setting it to a double-digit deficit. 

Florida 32, Tennessee 22

5:56 1H: Tennessee has not made a shot in 5:34 and Rick Barnes wants a timeout. Florida has jumped to a 29-20 lead while dominating with physicality. 

7:09 1H: Tennessee and Florida have been jawing back and forth, but the Gators have the advantage on the court. Felix Okpara had a loud pair of blocks at the rim, but failed to finish at the other end. 

Florida 25, Tennessee 17

11:51 1H: Jahmai Mashack is fouled and comes up slightly hobbling after the shot. He makes it back to the Tennessee huddle. 

Florida 17, Tennessee 14

15:31 1H: It is a physical fight on the glass and Florida has the early advantage. Tennessee is shooting 2-for-7 from the field, but 0-for-5 since making two shots in the first minute of the game.

Florida 10, Tennessee 6

19:10 1H: Zakai Zeigler drills a wing three for the first points of the afternoon. Walter Clayton adds one on the other end, then Igor Milicic drills the three for Tennessee to go back ahead. 

20:00 1H: Tennessee wins the opening tip. 

STARTERS

Tennessee: Zakai Zeigler, Chaz Lanier, Jahmai Mashack, Igor Milicic Jr., Felix Okpara

Florida: Walter Clayton Jr., Will Richard, Alijah Martin, Alex Condon, Rueben Chinyelu

Preview

Tennessee basketball and Florida will face off with an SEC title on the line, alongside postseason implications still to be determined. It is a battle of two teams that punched each other in the mouth in their respective homes.

Now, the Vols and Gators will have the final of a three-game series to settle the fight. Florida and Tennessee will duke it out on ESPN at 1 p.m. ET in Bridgestone Arena.

“Whoever’s going to want it more is going to take it,” Alex Condon said. “We whooped them at home, and then we weren’t ready to go when we went to their place. So I think we have the advantage on the neutral site.”

For the Gators, they have the most recent memory of the matchup. When Florida arrived in Knoxville on Feb. 1, the Vols were down Zakai Zeigler. Still, Tennessee hammered its rival, 64-44, en route to the upset victory with seven active scholarship players.

“We still have a sour taste in our mouth,” Florida guard Alijah Martin told The Daily Beacon. “How they did us at their crib. I think we’re going to show up tomorrow.”

Though Tennessee has the recent matchup, Florida’s win over the Vols on its home court could be argued as more impressive. Tennessee entered the game with an undefeated record and No. 1 ranking in the country but left with a 30-point dismantling and the worst shooting performance of the season.

“They beat us pretty bad,” Martin said. “We beat them pretty bad.”