Twenty minutes after the game ended, Kasey Hill sat in front of his locker, still wearing orange and blue.
He had changed out of his Florida jersey with the NCAA patch on the right shoulder — the one he hadn’t worn since 2014 — and swapped it for one emblazoned with two words: “New York.”
It was a nod to the place where the Gators will play next: Madison Square Garden, home of the New York Knicks.
“This is definitely a great place to be right now,” Hill said with a smile.
It’s a place only Hill has been: the Sweet 16.
That’s why even after his team embarrassed Virginia on Saturday, winning in a 65-39 blowout to advance to the next round of the NCAA Tournament, and even after his teammates bounced and danced and sang with excitement afterwards, Hill was relaxed and subdued.
His teammate, junior Devin Robinson, came swaggering through the locker room door, high-fiving teammates while shouting and smiling.
“I was like, ‘Bro, you gotta calm down,’” Hill said. “He’s very happy. D’s never been here before.”
Hill, a senior point guard, is the last remaining holdover from former Florida coach Billy Donovan’s run to the 2014 Final Four, back when NCAA Tournament appearances were expected and an early-round exit was an anomaly.
But with its win on Saturday, Florida hopes to reestablish itself as a perennial postseason contender.
“It’s great,” Robinson said. “It’s real good to turn this program around and get back to winning.”
No. 4 seed UF (26-8) will face No. 8 seed Wisconsin (27-9) in the Sweet 16 on Friday in New York City.
And the Gators got there without much trouble.
After defeating East Tennessee State by 15 points in the first round on Thursday, Florida earned a 26-point win over Virginia on Saturday, UF’s largest margin of victory in the NCAA Tournament in program history.
At times, the game was painful to watch.
Virginia had just 17 points at halftime, and its head coach, Tony Bennett, could only stare blankly at his team after each careless turnover, after each missed shot, and after each Florida shooter left wide open.
“I was trying to figure out at the half, ‘Is there anything that we can do?’” Bennett said. “To get smacked like that is tough.”
And even though UF’s leading scorer, KeVaughn Allen, struggled through the first two rounds, scoring just 11 total points, his teammates stepped up.
Against East Tennessee State and Virginia, Robinson scored 38 total points on 15-of-25 shooting to go along with 18 rebounds.
And senior forward Justin Leon finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds against the Cavaliers on Saturday.
“If Devin and Justin don’t step up and hit the shots that they did,” UF coach Mike White said, “this would’ve been a war.”
White and the Gators will likely face a stiffer challenge on Friday against Wisconsin, who upset No. 1 overall seed Villanova on Saturday.
But with a veteran-laden team and two tournament wins already secured, Florida is feeling confident.
“It’s March,” junior Chris Chiozza said. “Anything can happen.”
Contact Ian Cohen at icohen@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @icohenb.
UF players and coaches celebrate during Florida's 65-39 win against Virginia in the NCAA Tournament on Saturday in Orlando.
