Top 25 Roundup: Florida Rallies, Stuns No. 2 Tennessee

Florida Gators forward Colin Castleton (12) celebrates after he makes a basket against the Tennessee Volunteers during the second half at Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center in Gainesville, Fla., on Feb. 1, 2023. Kim Klement/USA TODAY Sports via Field Level Media

Colin Castleton scored 20 points and Kyle Lofton added 14 points and four assists, lifting Florida to a 67–54 upset of No. 2 Tennessee in Gainesville, Fla., on Wednesday, Feb. 1.

Tennessee led by as many as six points in the second half before Florida answered with a game-altering 13–0 run to go up 55–46 lead with 5:12 left and close the game out from there. The Gators shot 43.8 percent from the field and 35 percent (7–for–20) from beyond the arc.

Zeigler led Tennessee (18–4, 7–2 Southeastern Conference) with 15 points, while forward Olivier Nkamhoua and guard Santiago Vescovi added 11 points apiece. The Vols struggled from the field all night, shooting just 27.9 percent, including 5 of 25 (20 percent) from 3-point range.

The Gators (13–9, 6–3) have beaten a top-two team at home in back-to-back seasons after upsetting No. 2 Auburn 63–62 last February.

No. 1 Purdue 80, Penn State 60

Mason Gillis came off the bench and scored a career-high 29 points to lead the Boilermakers past the Nittany Lions in West Lafayette, Ind.

Purdue (22–1, 11–1 Big Ten) won its ninth in a row and swept the season series with Penn State (14–8, 5–6), which lost for the fifth time in its last eight games.

With Penn State doing a solid job of limiting national player of the year candidate Zach Edey in the paint, Gillis made a career-best nine 3-pointers in 12 tries, setting a new Mackey Arena record for triples in a game. Purdue made a season-high 14 3-pointers as a team.

Gillis was averaging only 5.4 points entering Wednesday’s game and had never scored more than 14 points in a game in his career. According to Purdue, Gillis’ 29 points were the most by a major-conference player coming off the bench this season.

No. 14 Marquette 73, Villanova 64

Tyler Kolek had 20 points and Kam Jones added 18 as the Golden Eagles retained a share of the Big East lead with a victory over the Wildcats in Milwaukee.

Marquette (18–5, 10–2 Big East) took control late with a 14–1 run over a six-minute span, pushing the lead to 71–62 on two free throws by Olivier-Maxence Prosper with 14 seconds left. Villanova went 7 1/2 minutes without a field goal until Caleb Daniels’ dunk with 10 seconds remaining.

Daniels and Eric Dixon had 14 points apiece for Villanova (10–12, 4–7).

No. 16 Xavier 85, No. 17 Providence 83 (OT)

Jack Nunge poured in a game-high 23 points while Souley Boum and Colby Jones each added 20 to lead No. 16 Xavier past 17th-ranked Providence in a Big East overtime thriller in Cincinnati.

Noah Locke paced the Friars (17–6, 9–3 Big East) with 22 points. Ed Croswell contributed 21 points and nine rebounds and Bryce Hopkins added 10 and 13, respectively, for Providence, which saw its three-game winning streak come to an end. Jared Bynum’s 3-point attempt from the left baseline rattled in and out with two seconds left to allow the Musketeers (18–5, 10–2) to escape with the win.

Xavier was playing its first game without senior starting forward Zach Freemantle, who will miss at least four weeks due to a left foot injury.

No. 25 Auburn 94, Georgia 73

Allen Flanigan scored a game-high 22 points and Johni Broome added 19 points and 18 rebounds as the Tigers cruised to a victory over the visiting Bulldogs in Southeastern Conference play.

Flannigan shot 8 of 10 from the field, including 3 of 5 from 3-point range, while Broome hit 8 of 11 from the floor in addition to tying a career high in rebounds. Wendell Green Jr. scored 18 points to go along with six assists, and K.D. Johnson finished with 13 points for Auburn (17–5, 7–2 SEC).

Georgia (14–8, 4–5) was led by Mardrez McBride, who scored a season-high 20 points while shooting 6 of 8 from beyond the arc. Kario Oquendo added 10 points, and Jusaun Holt wound up with nine points.