Florida Outlasts FGCU, Advances to Elite Eight with 62-50 Victory

The Florida Gator men’s basketball season continues to get sweeter, as the Orange and Blue bounced back from an early double digit deficit to eliminate 15 seed Florida Gulf Coast University from NCAA Tournament contention with a 62-50 win that advances the Gators to the Elite Eight for the third consecutive year and for the fifth time in the past eight seasons.

FGCU opened up the game with the same flamboyant firepower on offense that has epitomized their style of play in the tournament. The Eagles utilized an 11-0 run in the opening minutes to extend their lead to 15-4 six minutes into the contest; that would be their largest lead of the game, as the Gators reeled in FGCU and closed the gap as the first half wore on. Trailing 24-14 with 5:23 remaining, Florida pushed the pace and took charge of the game with a 16-0 run to take their first lead and enter halftime with a 30-26 advantage.

Florida outscored the Atlantic Sun champions 32-24 in the second stanza, keeping leverage over the Eagles and keeping the gap hovering in double digits for the majority of the final 20 minutes.

The regional semi-final game marked the 24th time in the 2012-2013 campaign that the Gators have held their opponent to under 60 points. Friday night’s game was tied for the lowest point total scored by the Eagles this season.

Each team had three players in double figures scoring. For the second straight game, senior Mike Rosario led the Gators in scoring, netting 15 points on a 6-14 night shooting from the field. Rosario’s five rebounds was tied for the team lead with forward Patric Young, who tallied three steals but only scored four points. Scottie Wilbekin had 13 points, while Casey Prather shone bright off the bench with 11 points and four rebounds in 26 minutes of action. Will Yeguete made his presence felt on the defensive front, recording a career high four steals and two blocks with two points.

The Eagles were led on the stat sheet by Sherwood Brown, who finished his collegiate career with a team high 14 points and six rebounds. Forward Chase Fieler had 12 points and tied Brown with six rebounds. Christophe Varidel swished 10 points in 15 minutes off the pine.

Two three point plays by Kenny Boynton helped stretch Florida’s lead in the second half and he talks about coach Billy Donovan’s message in the locker room, and the necessity of keeping FGCU’s offense in check.

Florida’s performance was spearheaded by strong defense. The Gators forced 20 turnovers, nine of which came from the hands of starting guard Brett Comer. Offense was difficult to come by at times, shooting 22-of-57 from the field (38.6%) and only 4-15 from long range (26.7%).  Donovan talks about the contributions of individual players to the victory, and the difficulty of getting shots to fall despite good shot selection.

Size on the interior aided the Gators in their quest for success as well. UF outrebounded the Eagles on the offensive glass 13-5.

With the victory, Florida moves to 17-1 against lower seeded teams in their last 18 NCAA Tournament games.

The Gators will square off against the fourth seeded Michigan Wolverines in the regional final, following the Maize and Blue’s 14 point comeback to knock off top seeded Kansas in overtime Friday night. Tipoff for Sunday’s Elite Eight contest at Cowboys Stadium is slated for 2:20pm.

About Joel Sebastianelli

Check Also

Orange & Blue Sports Network

Catch the student-led broadcasts from the College of Journalism and Communications right here.

LIVE THREAD: National Signing Day

Here’s an updated thread of all the recruits who picked the Gator hat today! RB …

AFC Divisional Round Preview: Pittsburgh Steelers

During last weekend’s NFL Wild Card round, the Steelers made a statement by handing the Dolphins a …

Houston Looking For an Upset in Foxborough

The saying has always been “it’s hard to beat a good team twice,” and in …

Blue Jackets vs. Lightning Tonight

The Columbus Blue Jackets and the Tampa Bay Lightning will be facing each other once …

Possible Additions to McElwain’s Recruiting Class Visiting this Weekend

With National Signing Day less than three weeks away, the Gators are hosting several talented …

Florida Gymnastics Prepares for Season Opener

GAINESVILLE, FL – The Florida Gator gymnastics team will kick off their season this Sunday …

Surprised Gators Promote Randy Shannon To Defensive Coordinator? You Shouldn’t Be

Florida’s head coach, Jim McElwain, announced Friday morning that Randy Shannon would be making the …

Quarterbacks in Spotlight for NFL Wild Card Weekend

The NFL Wild Card kicks off Saturday and the quarterback situations could not be any more different. On …

College Football Playoff Shakes Up Schedule

The College Football Playoff was a success in its first year. Yet, that doesn’t stop …

Michael Jordan Speaks out about Shootings, Police Officers

NBA great Michael Jordan opened up about his thoughts about shootings of African-Americans and the …

Treon Harris to Transfer

With the college football season approaching, the Florida Gators have announced that former starting QB …

USA Basketball Wins Second Exhibition Game

Just a few short days after their big win over Argentina, team USA won its …

Charlotte Is No Longer The Home Of The 2017 NBA All-Star Game

The House Bill 2 came between Charlotte, North Carolina and the 2017 All-Star Game. The …

Tampa Bay Rays Continue Series Against Oakland

The Tampa Bay Rays are continuing their three-game winning streak. The Rays defeated the Oakland …

MLB Preview Tonight

It’s summer time—the best time to go to a baseball game and experience the atmosphere. …

Braves Begin Series With Rockies

The Atlanta Braves (33-62) open up a four-game road series with the Rockies (43-51) tonight …

Marlins To Close Out Series With The Phillies

The Miami Marlins are in the middle of a crucial ten game span against NL East …

Rays Crush Rockies 11-3, Face A’s Next

In the midst of a terrible season that has seen the Tampa Bay Rays (37-57) …

American League Second Half Outlook

The second half of the baseball season is in full swing which translates to? Pennant races. Teams …

National League Evening Preview

Tonight is a busy night for the National League in the MLB. Starting with the …

Big 12 Looks To Expand

Following a Tuesday meeting between Big 12 presidents, Oklahoma president David Boren announced that the …

LSU Looks To Capitalize On Its Opportunity

The Louisiana State University Tigers will enter the 2016 college football season with high expectations, …

Muschamp Helps Close Out SEC Media Days 2016

It wasn’t Will Muschamps first SEC Media Days experience, but 2016 marked the first time …

Phil Mickelson Leads British Open After First Day

The 145th annual 2016 British Open is underway at Royal Troon Golf Club in Scotland. The …

Missouri’s Football Crisis: Rebuilding A Program

On the final day of SEC Media Days, Barry Odom took the stand as Missouri’s head …

Second Half Of MLB Season Begins

The All-Star Break is a good time for teams to rest up and reform themselves …

British Open Underway

The 145th Open Championship is already underway at the Royal Troon Golf Club in Scotland. Welcome …

Florida Men Set NCAA Record in 200 Medley Relay

Florida set a collegiate record to win the national championship in the 200-yard medley relay …