If you don’t think revenge is a powerful weapon, you didn’t see Tennessee trounce Florida last Saturday.

It didn’t matter that the Vols were down two starters.

It didn’t matter that Florida was ranked No. 5 and on a heater.

It didn’t matter that Florida’s offense was ranked in the top 3 nationally in offensive efficiency.

Tennessee was on a mission – even without All-SEC point guard Zakai Zeigler and leading rebounder Igor Milicic.

“We have enough right here” was the message from UT senior guard Jahmai Mashack, uttering a motto that likely will find its way on a t-shirt. I can see players in the NCAA Tournament promoting that.

Tennessee was extra motivated by a perceived lack of respect shown by Florida as the Gators gigged Tennessee 73-43 last month in Gainesville.

Florida coach Todd Golden did the Gator chomp with seconds left. Gator players apparently taunted Tennessee, which was ranked No. 1 entering that contest.

But Tennessee turned the tables in the rematch, routing Florida 64-44. It appeared UT was determined to limit the Gators to the same point total the Vols had in the first encounter.

Mashack, who had 8 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists, was asked postgame if he saw the beatdown coming.

“I think I envisioned more than a 20-point win,” he said. “I thought we’d win by 40.”

Ouch!

Mashack acknowledged “all odds were stacked against us” and that few believed UT could pull off the upset.

“We’re a good enough team to go as far as we want to go,” said Mashack, who helped Tennessee make the Elite Eight last year. “It’s up to us.”

Mashak said the Vols didn’t play as hard as they needed to in the 30-point loss at Florida. That wasn’t the case this time around.

After being outrebounded 55-38 in the first matchup, UT won the battle of the boards 40-37.

And after being outscored in the paint 40-14 in the first meeting, UT had a 34-14 edge this time.

Mashack said the Vols were not only motivated by the one-sided defeat but by the “disrespect” Florida showed them.

“We had a chip on our shoulder,” he said. “Everybody on the court was ready to run through a brick wall.”

Tennessee had another slow start offensively against Florida, shooting 29% from the field, hitting just 2-of-13 three-pointers and making 4-of-9 free-throw attempts in the first half.

That changed in the second half. The Vols opened by making their first six shots. And in that second half, UT looked like a Final Four-caliber team. The Vols shot 51.7% from the field, hit 4-of-9 from outside the arc and made all six free-throw attempts.

Tennessee’s defense was also stellar. Florida, averaging 85.3 points per game, scored more than 40 points below its average. The Gators made 24.5% from the field and went 4-of-27 on threes.

Florida’s top-notch trio of guards – who combined to average 47.5 points – were held to 18 points on 6-of-27 shooting. That run you expected from Florida was expelled by UT’s suffocating defense.

Next up for Tennessee (18-4, 5-4 SEC) is a home game against a surprisingly good Missouri team (17-4, 6-2 SEC) that was winless in SEC play a year ago. The additional of several transfers has transformed the Tigers into an NCAA tournament team.

So, which Tennessee team will show up tonight?

Will it be the one that lost by 40 at Florida and didn’t play hard enough, per Mashack, or the one that ran through a wall and ran all over Florida four days ago? That’s the beauty – and frustrating – part of college basketball. You don’t ever know.

The motivation factor won’t be there. But Zeigler will be available, per Zeigler, and probably Milicic. That should be enough for Tennessee to notch another victory.

After all, as Mashack said, “We’ve got enough right here.”