TAMPA- After three seasons without an NCAA Tournament victory, the Gators worked their way back into the win column in dominating fashion.
Second-seeded Florida started hot and never yielded, routing No. 15-seed UC Santa Barbara 79-51 on Thursday in the St. Pete Times Forum.
"It was huge," senior center Vernon Macklin said. "Us being able to come out and get this victory and, most importantly, be able to keep playing.
The win is UF's first in the Tournament since 2007, when an 84-75 over Ohio State victory secured a second straight national title.
Coach Billy Donovan said the rebuilding process has been a journey, as the Gators lost all five starters following the 2006-07 season.
"It's been very difficult. It's been very challenging," Donovan said. "It's also been very, very rewarding being a part of a group of guys and trying to help them understand what it takes to win at this level, and the strides that they've made from their freshman year until now."
Seniors Chandler Parsons, Alex Tyus and Macklin each recorded their first NCAA Tournament win in a Florida uniform, breaking a streak that threatened to span each player's entire career.
Although the Gators ended a significant drought, they were more focused on taking the next step.
"No one on our team has ever gotten one, so it definitely feels good," said Parsons, who nearly recorded a triple-double with 10 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds in just 27 minutes. "But we're not satisfied. We don't just want to come in here and win one game.
"We want to make some noise. And it feels good right now, and we're going to celebrate, but we can't get too happy because we're on a mission."
The next hurdle UF faces in trying to reach its goal is a contest Saturday against UCLA, which beat Michigan State 78-76 immediately after Florida's win.
To prepare despite the quick turnaround, the Gators returned to their hotel rather than sticking around to scout their next opponent in person.
Macklin said the team would hold a meeting late Thursday or early today to hear the scouting report on their next adversary. That leaves the Gators with one practice session, which Donovan hopes will be enough following three days of strong focus and preparation prior to UCSB.
"These guys understand what's at stake," Donovan said. "They realized what happened today, the margin of victory - that's not going to be the case next game.
"They got their legs under them and they've seen the atmosphere and got a win. Now, can we come back and ... have the same kind of focus we've had the last three days?"
That strong week of practice led to UF dominating UCSB in almost every statistical category.
The Gators scored at will, amassing a 58.1 shooting percentage. The team was equally stout on the defensive end, holding the Gauchos to just 27.3 percent from the field en route to a 43-19 halftime lead.
Amid rampant criticism that the team didn't deserve a No. 2 seed, Florida did everything it could to prove itself against inferior competition.
"We wanted to focus on winning and block out what people were saying," sophomore guard Kenny Boynton said. "We just wanted to come out and play our best game both offensively and defensively."
