OMAHA, Neb. — So much for Cinderella.
Florida made sure it didn’t go down as part of Norfolk State’s fairy tale Sunday, throttling the Spartans and ending all hopes of a magical run. Instead, it’s the Gators (25-10) who will travel to Phoenix on Thursday for a matchup with No. 3 seed Marquette in the program’s seventh, and second straight, berth in the Sweet 16 after winning 84-50 Sunday in Omaha, Neb.
They did it by pounding on the Spartans (26-10) early, going on a 25-0 run over 6:28 after NSU established a 6-4 lead four minutes in. Florida made 9 of 11 from the field during the span, while also holding Norfolk State to 0-of-10 shooting and forcing four turnovers.
“I haven’t ever been a part of anything like that,” guard Kenny Boynton said. “We did a great job at getting stops and converting on the offensive end, and that showed the level of focus we had out there.”
Afterward, freshman Brad Beal talked about the importance of establishing an early lead and eliminating any notion that Norfolk State could hang with Florida.
“Once we went on the 25-0 run, they kind of shutdown from there on,” he said. “We knew they were capable of making threes, and we didn’t want them to keep the game close and get back into the game. We did a great job of putting the pedal to the metal and knocking down shots and playing good defense.”
Coming into the game, much of the talk was about NSU’s advantage in length, with each starter listed at 6-foot-5 or taller. But it was UF that dominated the boards, and in turn, dominated the game.
Florida outrebounded Norfolk State 27-13 in the first half, helping it to get out in transition and score points in a hurry while also wearing down a team that had to grind it out for all 40 minutes Friday. The Gators, on the other hand, were able to rest key starters down the stretch of their blowout win against Virginia, which helped contribute to the team’s largest rebounding margin of the season Sunday, a plus-17 effort (48-31).
“That’s our focus of having your body in play and boxing out and going after the ball,” said Beal, who finished with 14 points and nine boards.
Junior Kenny Boynton led all scorers with 20 points on 7-of-12 shooting after scoring just 10 points combined in Florida’s past two games.
His biggest contribution may have come on the glass, as the 6-foot-2 guard pulled down a career-high eight rebounds, one of three Gators to reach that mark Sunday.
“I’ve never seen him rebound like that before,” center Patric Young said. “His rebounding probably got him a little fired up. Going in there and just tearing one down one time, he sees how it feels to be a big man and go in there and rip one down.”
Young finished with just six points and four boards, playing 26 minutes. But his defense on Norfolk State center Kyle O’Quinn helped hold the Spartans big man to just four points and three boards one game after he exploded for 26 and 14 against Missouri.
Young said Florida wanted no part of helping Norfolk State continue its Cinderella story.
“We came into this game with a mindset knowing that everyone was going to be cheering for the Cinderella team. Everyone is all about that: the underdog story,” he said. “Everyone wants to see how far they can go — the George Masons, the VCUs, the teams like that.
“We don’t want to be a part of that team’s run. We’ve just got to go out from the gate and let them know that we’re not here to play around.”
But both Young and reserve guard Mike Rosario, who contributed 12 points and two key offensive rebounds off the bench, said the Gators will not be satisfied with a trip to the Sweet 16.
“We want more and want to keep going as far as we can,” Rosario said.
For the immediate future, more means No. 3 seed Marquette, which will be waiting for Florida in Phoenix in the West regional semifinals after beating No. 6 seed Murray State on Saturday.
“It feels like we haven’t really accomplished anything yet. We’d like to go further,” Young said. “We’re here to win. We’re here to cut down nets. We’re here to not just make it to the tournament.
“We’re coming here to finish it strong, the best way we can, hopefully all the way to the end with a championship.”
Contact Matt Watts at mwatts@alligator.org.
Five Gators scored in double figures, including Erik Murphy (10 points), as Florida toppled No. 15 seed Norfolk State to reach the Sweet 16 in back-to-back years. UF faces No. 3 seed Marquette on Thursday.
