OMAHA, Neb. – Florida’s second-round matchup with Virginia on Friday was billed as a clash of contrasting styles.
The Cavaliers vaunted pack-line defense had held opponents to the second-lowest output on average in the nation, while the Gators up-tempo, deep-shooting offensive style had given opponents fits. It was going to be a close game, the analysts said.
Instead, the No. 7 seed Gators (24-10) routed the No. 10 seed Cavaliers (22-10), 71-45, by beating them at their own game.
“We heard all week that their defense was supposed to be so, so good,” guard Kenny Boynton said. “We wanted to come out and show everyone we had a defense also.”
Florida was beyond cold from beyond the arc, missing its first 14 looks from long range and making just 4 of 23 – a season-low for a team that came into Friday averaging nearly 10 makes per game. But it made up for the deficiency from deep by locking down Virginia and Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year runner-up Mike Scott.
The Cavaliers were held to a tie of their season-low in points, shooting just 38.3 percent from the field and 16.7 percent from three, and Scott finished below his season averages with 15 points and six rebounds.
“Coach prepared us really well,” said UF forward Erik Murphy, who was tasked with guarding Scott for much of the night. “We had great alertness and awareness of what was going on. We showed that on the defensive end.”
The Gators’ 71 points marked just the third time all season UVA had allowed an opponent to reach 70 points, but the way they accumulated those points was even more impressive. Despite a distinct drop-off from three, Florida found a way to win by taking advantage of Virginia’s defense. The Cavaliers like to get back in transition, and the Gators used the opportunity to dominate on the glass, outrebounding UVA 39-23, including nine offensive boards.
Virginia jumped out to a 10-2 lead while shots weren’t falling and Florida was still adjusting to the unorthodox defense. But UF used putbacks and second-chance points to claw back into the game and establish a lead at halftime.
“Even though the threes were not going in, we were forcing them to rotate and it probably took away their block-out responsibilities in certain situations,” UF coach Billy Donovan said. “The pace of the game, even though the score was not high in the first half, we got the pace the way we wanted to.”
The second half was a different story, as UF was able to establish its press and held UVA scoreless for a five-minute span early in the period. The Gators went on a 9-0 run during that span, keyed by a rare three from reserve forward Casey Prather, who finished with a career- and team-high 14 points. He also added four rebounds, an electric finish on an alley-oop and drew two key charges on Scott, helping force the UVA big man to the bench with foul trouble.
In all, Florida dominated the interior, making 26 of 30 from inside the arc. The team’s leading scorer, Boynton, who finished with eight points and five rebounds, said Friday’s game should show the critics that the Gators are not just a deep-shooting team.
“We can win without hitting threes, which a lot of people don't think we can do,” Boynton said. “We showed that tonight.”
With the win, Florida advances to the third round of the West region to play No. 15 seed Norfolk State, which upset No. 2 seed Missouri in the game immediately following the Gators’.
“You only get this once in a lifetime,” Boynton said. “We definitely want to make a run at it.”
Contact Matt Watts at mwatts@alligator.org.
Virginia's Jontel Evans, left, passes around the defense of Florida's Casey Prather and Erik Murphy (33) during the first half of an NCAA tournament second-round college basketball game at CenturyLink Center in Omaha, Neb., Friday, March 16, 2012.
