ORLANDO — In the first possession of his first NCAA Tournament game, Kevarrius Hayes lost the ball under the rim.
“I was a little nervous.” Hayes said. “I kind of dropped it. I had it too far back.... I was trying to hurry up before I had the ball secured.”
UF coach Mike White saw him rushing through his motions and told Hayes to slow down on the sideline.
Hayes took that advice.
“I always listen to the man, he’s very wise,” Hayes said.
With nerves out of his way, Hayes recorded a UF NCAA Tournament record six steals in No. 4 seed Florida’s 80-65 win over No. 13 seed East Tennessee State on Thursday in Orlando.
On offense, Hayes scored 7 points, shooting 2-for-3 from the field and sinking 3-of-4 free throw attempts. He also hauled in a team-high four offensive rebounds, helping UF edge out ETSU in second chance points, 12-10.
In addition to a career-high six steals on the defensive end, Hayes logged two blocks, including one emphatic swat off the backboard with under four minutes remaining to preserve a 12-point UF lead.
He said it’s always a good feeling when he completes a hustle play like that.
“Being able to keep a team from scoring,” he said, “it’s one of the greater feelings in basketball.”
Hayes has shouldered an increasingly heavy burden on defense since UF’s former starting center, John Egbunu, was sidelined for the season after an ACL tear on Feb. 14.
“It’s no secret he has like 30, 40 pounds on me,” Hayes said. “He’s clearly a more physical presence in the paint.”
Hayes said he was always cognizant of that when he used to back up Egbunu, but now he’s the number one option under the rim.
He said he’s been able to compensate for the size difference by being active on defense, keeping his hands high and doing the little things that help a defense lock in.
But with Florida’s lack of depth at center, he now has to deal with the added pressure of being the team’s only experienced defensive anchor.
When he comes out, either Gorjok Gak, Schuyler Rimmer or Keith Stone sub in — three of the four players with the fewest minutes played on the season.
But Hayes isn’t feeling the pressure anymore after the win.
He said he was meant to play in the NCAA Tournament.
“I’m a March birthday,” Hayes said. “So I was made for March Madness. I was hoping that one day I could probably be able to play here. And I guess in a way dreams come true.”
Contact Matt Brannon at mbrannon@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @MattB_727.
Florida forward Kevarrius Hayes (13) blocks a shot by East Tennessee State forward Tevin Glass (40) during the second half of the first round of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Thursday, March 16, 2017 in Orlando, Fla. Florida defeated ETSU 80-65. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
