Three Key Takeaways.
- The lane is open. To open the game, Florida relied too heavily on the three-point shot. After getting down early 10-2, the Gators rallied back to make a 28-10 run into halftime and an eight-point lead of their own thanks to driving the ball into the lane and Florida’s Erving Walker slicing between the Cavalier defense.
- Three point shooting woes. Both teams struggled from the three-point line in the first half, going a combined 1-of-22 from behind the arc. The second half was a little better as Florida went 3-of-7, but Virginia struggled only going 3-of-10 in the second half. Florida needs the three pointer to be on for them to get through their next opponent.
- Second Chances. The Gators had several second chance opportunities in this game outscoring the Cavaliers 12-0 in that category. Virginia didn’t protect the lane at the right times and the lack of defense allowed Florida to shoot almost 70% in the second half.
Star of the Game–Bradley Beal, Florida. Beal came up big in the second half scoring 10 of his game high 14 points and then grabbed 11 rebounds. The freshman guard from St. Louis didn’t play like a guard, with that rebounding ability. Patric Young and Casey Prather also came up big going a combined 12-of-13 from the field.
Sights & Sounds–There were concerns from Omaha officials about the attendance for this game due to the local school Creighton taking on Alabama at the same time as this game. But by the middle of the second half the arena mostly filled in but you could hear periodic cheers out of nowhere due to fans in the arena seeing the Creighton game on the concourse TVs.
Quotable–“You saw a team that really took it to us and we didn’t have an answer,” Tony Bennett, Virginia Head Coach.
What’s Next?–The Gators now wait to see if they will face Missouri or Norfolk State in the round of 32 on Sunday. The likely pick here will be Missouri as they have the fan support at the CenturyLink Center and have been pretty dominant this season. The key for Florida will be to hit more three pointers than they did in this one. If they go cold again, it will be tough for them to advance to the Sweet Sixteen.