Coach Mike White called off the dogs.
The Gators faced a 15-point deficit against No. 2-seeded Michigan with 24 seconds remaining. He knew they had been beaten.
Seniors KeVaughn Allen, Jalen Hudson and Kevarrius Hayes were called to the bench for the very last time in their Florida careers. As they exited the court, so did 249 combined career starts in the Orange and Blue.
White’s first recruiting class at UF amassed five NCAA Tournament wins. It brought the Gators to March Madness for three straight seasons after a two-year absence. But the first era of White’s Gainesville tenure has now come to a close.
UM ended Florida’s season in the Second Round on Saturday in Des Moines, Iowa, winning 64-49.
The Wolverines (30-6) dominated on the inside from the beginning of the opening frame, scoring 18 points in the paint in the first period. Seven-foot-1 center Jon Teske flexed a four-inch height advantage over his UF counterpart, Kevarrius Hayes, and grabbed seven rebounds in the first half.
Michigan had six more first-half rebounds than Florida (20-16) and four more offensive boards. UM took advantage of these opportunities, scoring eight second-chance points in the first period.
After an 11-0 run early in the game, the Wolverines started to assert their will.
But the Gators responded with a barrage of three-pointers. They only shot 41 percent from the field in the opening half, but drilled 6 of their 12 attempts from distance.
Guard Noah Locke and Hudson each hit two threes, and Locke led the team in scoring in the first period with eight points.
Outside shooting allowed Florida to answer Michigan’s challenge on the interior and stay in the game.
Despite trailing by as many as nine, Florida cut the deficit to four at halftime.
However, UF couldn’t carry much of its first-half success into the second. The Wolverines scored 11 unanswered to open the period, stretching their lead to 15.
Six of those points were scored by guard Jordan Poole, who torched the Gators for 19 points.
UF went on a 9-0 run to get within six, but that’s the closest it got.
Florida’s shooting dried up in the second half. It shot 29 percent, and when the shots stopped falling, Michigan took control of the game.
Only Hudson scored in double figures. He had 11 points, but he only shot 4 of 15.
UF gave away too many offensive possessions to keep the game competitive in the second period. Normally sure-handed point guard Andrew Nembhard turned it over four times in the loss.
The Gators couldn’t rely on points at the free-throw line, either. The Wolverines played a clean game, giving them only two attempts from behind the charity stripe.
UF overachieved in the tournament, according to its No. 10 seed, by beating Nevada in the opening round. But now, the Gators will turn their attention to next season after a first-weekend exit for the second year in a row.
Follow Tyler Nettuno on Twitter @TylerNettuno and contact him at tnettuno@alligator.org.
Senior Jalen Hudson led the team in scoring with 11 points in Florida's 64-49 loss to Michigan in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday in Des Moines, Iowa.
