ARLINGTON, Texas – After looking outmatched for most of the first half, Florida snapped out of a shooting slump and amped up its defense against Florida Gulf Coast.
Dunk City soon became Turnover City.
The No. 3 seed Gators (29-7) forced the 15th-seeded Eagles (26-11) into 20 turnovers, cruising to a 62-50 victory Friday night in the South Region semifinals in Cowboys Stadium. The win lands UF its third consecutive Elite Eight appearance and ends FGCU’s surprising NCAA Tournament run. Florida will face No. 4 seed Michigan on Sunday at 2:20 p.m. in Arlington for a spot in the Final Four.
“As a team you want to stay connected and stay locked in on the things that you can control,” guard Mike Rosario said. “We did a great job of putting pressure and making those guys feel uncomfortable, trying to get the ball up-court, trying to run their sets.”
Said coach Billy Donovan: “I just kept telling those guys, ‘As long as we're getting good looks, we’ll be fine. But we need to continue to defend.’ And really, it was our defense that got us back in.”
The Gators struggled from the field early, shooting 4 of 20 in the first 8:27. FGCU jumped out to an early 15-4 lead and looked cohesive in transition, as Eagles point guard Brett Comer connected on alley-oops with guard Sherwood Brown and forward Eddie Murray.
But after 15 minutes of sloppy play, the Gators bounced back as their reserves stepped up.
Forward Casey Prather and guard Michael Frazier II sparked the Gators. UF went on a 23-2 run from 5:39 in the first half to 18:32 in the second to take a 37-26 lead.
Prather and Frazier combined for 13 points during the rally. Florida hit 7 of 12 shots, including its final four three-point attempts, to close out the half.
UF took FGCU out of its comfort zone by keeping the game in the half court and breaking up lob attempts. Comer finished with seven assists but nine turnovers.
“They are a great team and did a great job of slowing us down, turning down our ball screens, making our plays ran from 5 feet deeper than we wanted to and just really got us out of our game,” FGCU forward Chase Fieler said.
Gulf Coast cut UF’s lead to 50-43 with 3:18 remaining, but guard Scottie Wilbekin went 7 of 8 from the foul line the rest of the way to preserve the lead.
With 1:58 left, guard Mike Rosario provided the dagger, inbounding the ball off FGCU guard Christophe Varidel’s back and then driving to the hole for an open dunk.
“After I made that play going into the timeout, I just told [Donovan], ‘I took a gamble on that play,’” Rosario said. “I wanted to make a play for my teammates. I felt that if he turns his back and no one is protecting our basket, I’m going to try to score. I just felt that I made a play for my team at a crucial point in the game and I wanted to be aggressive.”
Rosario led the way with a game-high 15 points on 6-of-14 shooting, while Wilbekin scored 13 points. Prather added 11 points and four boards.
Forward Will Yeguete scored only two points but was also a major factor during UF’s key run. He recorded four rebounds, four steals and two blocks as the Gators tightened up defensively.
Florida committed 10 turnovers and shot 38.6 percent from the field – its third-lowest percentage this season.
The Gators are looking to make their first Final Four since 2007. No. 4 seed Michigan overcame a 10-point second-half deficit to defeat No. 1 seed Kansas 87-85 in overtime Friday night.
After two straight Elite Eight exits, the Gators have an opportunity to take the next step.
“It’s going to come down to our toughness and togetherness,” center Patric Young said. “We’ve been through it so many times before. Just fighting through the adversity and embracing it.”
Guard Mike Rosario celebrates after making a three-point shot during Florida's 62-50 win against Florida Gulf Coast in the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 on Friday at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Casey Prather attempts a dunk against Florida Gulf Coast guard Christophe Varidel during a 62-50 victory Friday night in the South Region semifinals in Cowboys Stadium.
Scottie Wilbekin (left) attempts a layup during Florida's 62-50 victory against Florida Gulf Coast on March 29 in the South Region semifinals in Cowboys Stadium.
