Mike Rosario lost focus early in the second half of No. 3 seed Florida’s 79-47 win against Northwestern State on Friday.
During the Demons’ first offensive possession of the second half, Rosario allowed his man, forward Patrick Robinson, to cut backdoor on a screen, grab an offensive rebound and score a putback layup to cut UF’s lead to 40-34.
With 19:24 remaining, coach Billy Donovan subbed out Rosario. The redshirt senior did not return to the game until the 6:39 mark.
“I got asked after the Northwestern State game, ‘Geez, you sat Mike Rosario for [13] minutes?’” Donovan said. “I didn’t sit Mike Rosario for [13] minutes. He sat himself.”
But after an erratic, eight-point performance on 3-of-9 shooting against the Demons — during which he saw only 15 minutes on the court — Rosario finally woke up Sunday against Minnesota.
In the third-seeded Gators’ 78-64 victory against the No. 11 seed Golden Gophers, Rosario enjoyed one of his best games at UF. The Rutgers transfer scored a team-high 25 points on 8-of-12 shooting in 34 minutes to help UF reach its third straight Sweet 16.
Rosario drilled 6 of his 9 three-point attempts, made 3 of 4 free throws and did not commit a turnover in the contest.
“I didn’t bring that full Mike Rosario for the first game,” Rosario said. “I just felt that coming into that first game, I wasn’t doing my job. … So I was beating myself up about it, and I was happy to come out [Sunday] and get the job done.”
Guard Scottie Wilbekin added: “I’m extremely happy. He didn’t play as well as he would have wanted to or we would want him to in the game before. It was great to see him come out like this.”
Despite playing with a dislocated ring finger on his left hand, Rosario found his shooting touch early.
After missing his first three-point attempt, Rosario made his next three from behind the arc, with two coming on back-to-back possessions. As Florida led 13-10, Rosario buried a three from the left corner. Seventeen seconds later, he drained a jumper from the same spot — this time wide open — as the Gators took a 16-10 lead.
Rosario was a key factor in Florida’s 27-5 run, which helped it take a 48-27 halftime lead.
After Minnesota cut a 21-point lead to seven with 12:35 left, center Patric Young dished the ball to Rosario, who hit an open three from the left wing with 10:29 left to cap a 6-0 run.
Then, at the 3:13 mark, Rosario provided the dagger — a three from the right corner that stretched UF’s lead to 17 points.
“Those are some big shots,” Rosario said.
“The one thing that [Donovan] talked to me before I transferred here, he said you’re putting yourself in big moments and big games and just being in this big situation like that. I really took full advantage of it tonight and I told myself, ‘If I’m open, I’m going to knock down the shot.’”
With a matchup against No. 15 seed Florida Gulf Coast looming on Friday at 10:07 p.m. in Arlington, Texas, for a spot in the Elite Eight, Donovan will need Rosario to stay “focused and locked in” — a phrase he has preached to the redshirt senior all season.
A victory would give the Gators their third straight trip to the Elite Eight.
“Everybody’s different,” Donovan said. “I think you have to try as a coach to hit the right buttons there. Mike let’s me coach him. He takes responsibility. The best part about him is he really cares about his teammates. … All I’m trying to get out of him is to be his best.”
Redshirt senior guard Mike Rosario (3) celebrates with senior forward Erik Murphy (33) after Florida’s 78-64 victory against Minnesota on Sunday in Austin, Texas.
