‘This is good for us’: No. 1 Tennessee falls by 30 to No. 8 Florida, becoming last unbeaten to lose

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Tennessee coach Rick Barnes walked into the locker room and delivered a brief message to his downtrodden team: “This is good for us.”

At least in the long run.

The top-ranked Volunteers became the last Division I team to lose this season, getting thumped 73-43 at No. 8 Florida on Tuesday night. This one was over shortly after it tipped.

Tennessee (14-1, 1-1 Southeastern Conference) missed its first nine shots, trailed by double digits a few minutes later and never recovered.