Down two points. Four seconds left. And the full length of the court.
This is what Florida guard Chris Chiozza had to overcome as he sprinted down the baseline to receive an inbounds pass from Canyon Barry.
With the Badgers’ Nigel Hayes — who hit two free throws prior to give his team an 83-81 lead — running with him step-for-step, Chiozza dribbled the ball as fast as he could to the other end of the floor.
When he got within range, Chiozza picked up his dribble and threw up a one-handed prayer as the final buzzer of the overtime period reverberated throughout Madison Square Garden.
It went in.
Swarmed by his teammates, Chiozza held up his right hand — his shooting hand — in victory, as the No. 4 seed Gators (27-8) defeated No. 8 seed Wisconsin 84-83 in the Sweet 16 on Friday night.
Chiozza only scored eight points, but his last-second heroics ensured Florida’s first berth in the Elite Eight since the 2013-14 season.
“I’m still kinda at a loss here. What an unbelievable shot,” UF coach Mike White said after the game. “What a tough guy this is… . This guy bailed us out.”
Guard KeVaughn Allen overcame a rough start in the tournament’s opening rounds to score a career-high 35 points. He also hit nine of his 10 free throw attempts.
“I just had to continue to stay aggressive,” Allen said. “My teammates kept telling me to shoot it whether I miss or make.”
Florida overcame a sluggish start to the game to take a 34-32 lead at halftime and continued its aggressive, energetic play throughout the second half.
Through multiple runs by the Badgers (27-10), the Gators still managed to lead by as much as 10 in the second frame.
However, with six seconds left in regulation, Wisconsin found itself with the ball and down three points.
The Badgers’ turned to senior guard Zak Showalter, who ripped the net on a three-point shot with 2.5 seconds remaining, ultimately sending the game into overtime.
In the extra period, it was all Wisconsin.
Forwards Hayes and Ethan Happ led the Badgers on a 6-1 run to take a 78-73 lead with 1:40 left in the overtime.
For the game, Hayes totaled 22 points and six rebounds, and Happ added 21 points and four assists.
However, after Wisconsin’s Khalil Iverson broke away from Florida’s full-court press for what would have probably been a game-deciding basket, Barry pursued Iverson down the court and followed up with a chase-down block. Moments later, Chiozza converted a wide-open layup to tie the game at 81 with 24 seconds left.
“Canyon had a great play. The biggest play of the game,” Chiozza said. “Chased the guy down and he had a wide-open dunk, and he blocked it.”
You know the rest.
With the win, the Gators will play No. 7 seed South Carolina on Sunday at 2:20 p.m. ET in Madison Square Garden. The Gamecocks, who split the regular season series with Florida, upset No. 3 Baylor in a 70-50 thrashing on Friday night.
“They’re a physical team,” Allen said of South Carolina. “We just gotta be patient on offense and just let it come to us.”
A TV broadcast contributed to this report.
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Florida guard Chris Chiozza (11) puts up a last second 3-point shot to score the game-winning points against Wisconsin in overtime of an East Regional semifinal game of the NCAA men's college basketball tournament, Saturday, March 25, 2017, in New York. Florida won 84-83. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
