Wasn't this supposed to be a rebuilding year for Florida?

Don't try to tell Vanderbilt that.

The Commodores might think differently after taking an 86-64 whipping from the Gators.

Despite having to replace all five starters plus key bench personnel from the national championship teams of the last two years, the Gators now rest in first place in the SEC's Eastern Division with a 5-1 conference mark.

Tennessee, the preseason favorite, also has just one loss but has played only five SEC games.

The Gators thoroughly thrashed the Commodores from the outset. At one point late in the first half, they were up 34-6 following a 23-0 run.

"I haven't seen that happen very often," freshman Nick Calathes said. "We definitely haven't really shown that this year. We settled down a little bit and let them come back. We definitely cannot let that happen again. They are a heck of a team."

The Gators led by only 15 at halftime, but had their advantage up to 25 points just over seven minutes into the second half.

The rout of the Commodores followed a hard-fought midweek win at South Carolina in which the Gators overcame an eight-point deficit over the final eight minutes to win 73-71.

Now 18-3 overall, the Gators have two tough road tests coming up. They are at Arkansas on Feb. 2, then go to Tennessee three days later.

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