what happened
RAILY, N.C. — The Gators have launched their final fora run bid in an impressive way. It took 31 seconds.
The fourth-ranked Gator, the number one seed in the Western Region, won 16th seed Norfolk State 95-69 on Friday night in his first NCAA Tournament match. Senior guard Walter Clayton Jr. announced Florida’s presence in the insanity of March. There are three pointers near the Center Court logo at the Lenovo Centre at the first point of the game.
Clayton’s basket was a virtual kill shot as Florida never won a double figure in his 25th season on his way to his seventh straight victory. The victory was also the UF’s first NCAA tournament victory under manager Todd Golden, who took over the program in 2022.
“We obviously played very well in the first 15 minutes of the game, but it relaxed a little,” Golden told TNT. You have to clean it a little to prepare for Sunday. No. 1 seed and it’s very rare for the NCAA tournament to not win under your belt. ”
Meanwhile, Clayton continued shooting from the deep, and the shot continued to fall. Among them were four-point plays early to close out a 10-0 run to put the Gators on top 13-2 within five minutes of the contest. Clayton scored 13 of 23 points in the first six minutes as Florida took a 19-5 lead and never looked back.
The Gators’ biggest lead in the first half was a pair of free throws by Reuben Chiniel with 32 points with 3:15 left until halftime. Florida led 53-21, finishing the first half 11-0 with the Spartans attacking the game’s best stretch and trimming the UF’s lead with a break at 53-32.
Still, the Gators insisted on their control and controlled the game. The UF shot 50% (18 of 36) and connected in 7 of the 19 in the opening 20 minutes. Clayton led with 16 points as the overmatched Spartan switched from the zone to a full-court press in the opening minutes.
Norfolk, the closest in the second half, was 18, when Jay Laniderden hit the jumper and trimmed the lead to 72-54 with the remaining 9:26.
The four Gators scored double-digit points as Alya Martin added 17, Thomas Howe chipped with 13 and Alex Condon scored 12 points with five rebounds and three assists.
What that means
The UF discounted victory in 1987 and 88, vacant due to NCAA sanctions, improving to 11-1 as the first-place seed in the first round game, improving to 17-6 to 17-6. …The Gators joined 1-seeded Auburn, 2-seeded Alabama and Tennessee, and as the best-seeded SEC team, they all advanced through the first round.
In the spotlight
Clayton showed why he was the first player in school history to win national honors for the first team. New off, selected as the SEC Tournament MVP, Clayton added to his career admiration by scoring 2,000 career points when he scored on a drive to basket early in the second half.
Amazing statistics
Florida’s 53 points in the first half was the first time in the program’s NCAA Tournament history (66 games) that the Gators scored more than 50 points in the first half. The previous high was 48 in the second 78-64 victory at Minnesota in 2013.
next
Florida (31-4) will face the winner of the bracket night cap game between the 8th seed and two-time reigning champion Connecticut (23-10) or 9th seed Oklahoma (20-13). The Gators have been registered in the 2014 NCAA semi-finals, dating back to 2013, losing five straight wins against the Huskies. The UF defeated Oklahoma 85-63 in the regular season Southeastern Conference game held in Gainesville on February 18th.
Senior writer Scott Carter contributed to this report. Email senior author Chris Harry to chrish@gators.ufl.edu.
