Against a deep, fast-paced Northwestern State squad, Florida used an inside advantage to cruise to its first win in the 2013 NCAA Tournament.
The Gators have waited 363 days to return to the Big Dance.
Many people thought Kenny Boynton would leave Florida after his freshman season three years ago.
The Favorite: Kansas
In its 66-63 loss to Ole Miss in the Southeastern Conference Tournament final on Sunday in Nashville, Tenn., Florida bucked a trend.
The Favorite: Gonzaga
As Florida trailed Ole Miss 66-63 with 4.2 seconds left Sunday, point guard Scottie Wilbekin had an opportunity to make the Gators’ uphill battle less difficult.
The Favorite: Indiana
After falling 66-63 to Ole Miss on Sunday in the Southeastern Conference Tournament final, Florida will travel to Austin, Texas, for the NCAA Tournament.
As Florida trailed Alabama 37-27 with 16:05 remaining, Kenny Boynton woke up from a scoreless slump and put No. 13 UF on his back.
In UF’s first game of the Southeastern Conference Tournament, Erik Murphy propelled No. 13 Florida to a rout of LSU.
Forty-six seconds were all coach Billy Donovan could handle.
Florida snagged several of the Southeastern Conference’s top individual honors on Tuesday.
Although missing shots has hurt the Gators in late-game situations this season, coach Billy Donovan said turnovers played a bigger role in the Gators’ meltdowns against Kentucky on Saturday, Missouri on Feb. 19 and Arizona on Dec. 15.
In the heat of Saturday afternoon’s game against Kentucky, Florida went cold.
After taking a 57-50 lead against Kentucky with 7:36 left, Florida went scoreless for the remainder of the contest.
Despite an inauspicious two-week stretch that saw Florida go just 2-2 and draw the ire of coach Billy Donovan, the Gators took a commanding step closer to their ultimate goal on Wednesday night.
Despite the Southeastern Conference title race implications on the line in Florida’s home matchup against Alabama on Saturday at noon in the O’Connell Center, coach Billy Donovan is taking a cautious approach with forward Will Yeguete (right knee) and guard Michael Frazier II (concussion).
When Tennessee guard Trae Golden dished the ball to Jarnell Stokes on the low block with 8:16 left in the first half, forwards Erik Murphy and DeVon Walker double-teamed the 6-foot-8, 270-pound center.
The Gators’ depth will be tested tonight in Knoxville, Tenn.
Solutions by The State News
