With 8:59 left in the first half, things started to unravel for the Gators.
Vanderbilt's Duke Miles seized the moment with a four-point play, capitalizing on a foul by Micah Handlogten after sinking a three-pointer. As Florida attempted to bounce back, trailing 21-14, an offensive foul on Alex Condon handed the Commodores another chance to widen the gap. Jalen Washington hit a jumper, followed by a triple from Devin McGlockton, pushing Vanderbilt to a 10-point lead-their largest at that point.
From there, the Commodores kept the momentum, leaving Florida struggling to keep pace.
The Gators (26-7) fell to Vanderbilt (26-7) with a final score of 91-74 in the SEC Tournament semifinals in Nashville, Tennessee, dashing their hopes of repeating as champions. Vanderbilt's sharp shooting from beyond the arc, paired with Florida's offensive woes, spelled disaster for the Gators.
"They're just too good of a team to play that way and expect to win," head coach Todd Golden remarked.
Vanderbilt's command was clear from the start. They closed the first half with a 13-point advantage, shooting 52% from the field and 46.2% from three-point territory.
"They have a great offensive team," junior Thomas Haugh noted. "We didn't have a good defensive effort out there today."
Florida, on the other hand, faced significant challenges. They shot just 36.7% from the field and 25% from deep by halftime. Of their 34 first-half points, 10 came from free throws, with both teams in the bonus.
Florida's struggles from deep were persistent. After shooting just 15% from three against Kentucky, the Gators saw a similar pattern against Vanderbilt, going 5-for-17 from beyond the arc.
Meanwhile, Vanderbilt was on fire from deep, hitting 47.6% on 10-of-21 shooting and 54.5% overall from the field.
Florida also grappled with Vanderbilt's physical play. The Commodores' defensive intensity forced nine first-half turnovers and 14 overall, while they committed only two in the first half and eight in total.
"The physicality that they played with bothered us," Golden admitted. "We usually do that to other teams."
Sophomore guard Tyler Tanner, Vanderbilt's leading scorer, was particularly challenging for Florida to contain. Averaging 19.2 points per game, Tanner kicked off the game with a bang, scoring seven of the team's first 10 points. He wrapped up the game with 20 points and eight assists.
Vanderbilt's balanced scoring attack made them tough to stop, with five players hitting double figures. Washington scored 17 points, Miles added 15, while McGlockton and AK Okereke contributed 12 and 11 points, respectively.
Florida also had four players in double figures. Haugh led with 19 points and nine rebounds. Junior forward Alex Condon, despite a previous double-double, struggled with five turnovers and foul trouble but still managed 13 points and seven rebounds.
Rueben Chinyelu and Boogie Fland scored 12 and 15 points, respectively, with Chinyelu adding six rebounds but picking up four fouls.
Xaivian Lee, after his clutch performance against Kentucky, found it tough to make a mark, scoring seven points on 2-of-8 shooting.
With their SEC Tournament journey concluded, the Gators now await their NCAA Tournament fate on Selection Sunday at 6 p.m. ET.