The Gators basketball team is riding a wave of momentum back to the Sweet Sixteen for the first time in three seasons. For that, Florida fans can thank the Gators defense, which put on a truly absurd display of dominance in No. 4 seed UF’s 65-39 win over No. 5 seed Virginia on Saturday in Orlando.
Never before had the Gators held a team under 40 points in March Madness.
At one point, the Gators defense held the Cavaliers without a point for a full eight minutes and 23 seconds of game time. With 5:38 left in the first half, UF led 19-17. Virginia didn’t get over that 17-point hump until Florida led 40-19 two minutes and 45 seconds into the second half.
To put an incredible stretch of scoreless defense like that into context, Virginia was held scoreless longer than it takes to cook four Hot Pockets back-to-back-to-back-to-back.
Longer than it takes for magician David Blaine to swallow and regurgitate a frog.
Longer than it took "La La Land" to win, and lose, an Oscar for best picture.
Longer than it took the Patriots to erase a 16-point fourth quarter deficit in Super Bowl LI.
Longer than it took for Bane to hijack and disassemble a plane in "The Dark Knight Rises."
“There is a reason why Florida, in defensive efficiency, is in the top five in the country. They really defend,” Virginia coach Tony Bennett said. “We had too many breakdowns. Then it was separated.”
The Cavaliers’ 17 points in the first half was the worst scoring start they’ve had all season.
“In Virginia’s defense, they missed a few open ones," UF coach Mike White said. "We got a couple bounces our way."
But White conceded that’s as well as the team’s defense has performed all year.
Point guard Chris Chiozza said that’s the kind of defense that led the Gators to a nine-game win streak midseason.
“That’s why we were able to go on that win streak,” Chiozza said. “We had our defense and our offense clicking on all cylinders, and I think that this game really helped us get back to that.”
Combine Florida’s eight-plus shutout minutes on defense with a season-best 21-0 spurt, and Virginia was toast.
“They’re potent. They get down the floor,” Bennett said of the Gators. “I was just trying to figure out at the half, ‘Is there anything we can do?’”
Matt Brannon is the assistant sports editor. Contact him at mbrannon@alligator.org, and follow him on Twitter @MattB_727.
UF forward Devin Robinson guards a Virginia player during Florida's 65-39 win against the Cavaliers in the NCAA Tournament on Saturday in Orlando.
