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The Florida men’s basketball team entered the 2012 NCAA Tournament as the seventh seed in the West Region and took down the tenth seeded Virginia Cavaliers 71-45 on Friday afternoon to advance to the Round of 32. Florida Freshman guard Bradley Beal led the attack for the Gators with 14 points and 11 rebounds. Fellow Gators Casey Prather and Patric Young made their presence felt with 14 and 13 points respectively.
The Gators then turned their attention to the fifteenth seeded Norfolk State Spartans. Norfolk State shook up the West Region by knocking off the number two seeded Missouri Tigers. However, the Cinderella story ended there for the Spartans.
Florida pounded Norfolk State 84-50 on Sunday to punch their ticket to the Sweet Sixteen. Florida guard Kenny Boynton put up 20 points, eight boards, and four assists in the win. The Gators also enjoyed double digit performances by Erving Walker, Bradley Beal, Mike Rosario, and Erik Murphy.
Florida Senior guard Erving Walker says it was a great all around win for the Gators.
Florida will face off against the third seeded Marquette Golden Eagles in the Sweet Sixteen. Marquette is 27-7 this season and 14-4 in Big East play. The Golden Eagles defeated BYU 88-68 in the Round of 64 and knocked off Murray State 62-53 in the Round of 32.
Walker says anything can happen during March Madness.
This is the second straight season the Gators have advanced to the Sweet Sixteen. Tip off is scheduled for 10:17pm.
