A sloppy and early exit from the SEC Tournament on March 9 left a bad taste in the mouth of Florida’s men’s basketball program.
Six days later, it was replaced with the triumph of advancing past St. Bonaventure in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Now, UF has a chance to build on that momentum and play its way into the Sweet 16 for a second straight year.
No. 6 seed Florida (21-12) and No. 3 seed Texas Tech (25-9) will put their seasons on the line in the Round of 32 on Saturday at 8:40 p.m. in Dallas, Texas. The game will air on TNT.
The Gators have won seven straight Round of 32 matchups, leading to four Elite 8 runs, a Final Four appearance in 2014 and national championships in 2006 and 2007. The last time they lost in the second round was in 2005 to Villanova.
UF is also 4-0 all time against No. 3 seeds. Its most recent matchups with a No. 3 seed came in 2012 against Marquette and 2011 against BYU.
The team will tell you that history has nothing to do with the next game on the schedule, though. A bigger factor may be the virtual home crowd Texas Tech figures to bring to Dallas, but Gators guard Jalen Hudson remains undeterred.
“I don't think their fans can do anything to help them on the floor,” Hudson said, “so I think we'll be fine.”
The Red Raiders sport one of the best defensive units UF has seen all year. It leads the Big 12 in scoring defense, giving up just 64.6 points per game.
“They've got versatile defenders that move really well,” Gators coach Mike White said. “They've got front court guys that can lock up guards, and they've got guards that can defend in the post.”
One of those guards, senior Keenan Evans, was a unanimous 2018 All-Big 12 First Team selection. Evans’ 17.5 points per game leads Texas Tech and ranks second in the Big 12.
This sets up an individual matchup between veteran guards in Evans and Florida senior Chris Chiozza. Chiozza was a First Team All-SEC and SEC All-Defensive Team selection this season. He said he looks forward to covering Evans.
“Any time you get to go up against a great player, it helps you elevate your game,” he said.
Chiozza may also spend time on Red Raiders guard Zhaire Smith, a member of the Big 12 All-Defensive Team. Smith was also named to the Big 12 All-Newcomer Team after averaging 11.2 points and 4.7 rebounds per game as a freshman.
The Gators saw contributions across the board during their Round of 64 victory over St. Bonaventure Thursday. Chiozza (11 assists), Egor Koulechov (20 points) and Hudson (16 points) all chipped in out of the back court.
Florida’s bench delivered as well. Sophomore forward Keith Stone came close to a double-double (nine points, eight rebounds). Redshirt freshman Dontay Bassett and freshman Mike Okauru combined for 11 points and six rebounds on 66.7 percent shooting.
White said a balanced offensive attack was crucial for the Gators.
“It’s who we are,” he said. “It allows us to spread the floor.”
Florida will need that balance, as well as another consistent defensive effort, to take down a slightly-favored Red Raiders team with one of the nation’s stingiest defenses playing in its own state.
It’s all just motivation to Chiozza.
“A lot of people were picking us to lose the game in the first round,” he said. “I’m sure they’re picking us to lose against Texas Tech. We definitely have a chip on our shoulder.”
Follow Andrew Huang on Twitter @AndrewJHuang and contact him at ahuang@alligator.org.
Guard Chris Chiozza dished out 11 assists while contributing eight points in Florida's first-round win over St. Bonaventure.
