RALEIGH, N.C. — Entering the Round of 32 matchup with UConn, the Florida Gators hadn’t continued onto the Sweet 16 since 2017.
However, that drought is no more as the Gators put the nail in the coffin on the Huskies’ chance to three-peat and advance to the next round of the tournament with a 77-75 nail-biting victory on Sunday.
“Again, Florida basketball back where it belongs,” Gators head coach Todd Golden said. “Being in the Sweet 16 is a great step in the right direction.”
A step in the right direction, it was.
This isn’t something that just happens with ease. UConn has that pedigree – that history within the program. They enter these games with the expectation of winning in March. That’s what made this game even more difficult than it was. The guys on Florida’s roster haven’t really been in this spot before other than Alijah Martin.
“I think he showed experience,” Walter Clayton Jr. said of Martin’s first-half performance. “He’s had multiple moments like that all year, and he just did that again today.”
To get a win as they did, it shows that grittiness and collective teamwork are needed to make it far in the tournament and to set a standard within a program.
“A game like that definitely lets you know that you’re ready to take that next step,” Gators senior Will Richard said. “Like Coach said, as a program and as a team. It definitely just helps us be better prepared for the next game…just facing adversity throughout the game and being resilient…”
Furthermore, for the guys who are playing for Florida right now, getting deep into the tournament is why they signed up to play in the orange and blue, said Richard.
“This is why everybody came here,” Richard said. “We wanted to bring Florida back to that national stage and that relevance. For us, it means a lot, just playing for that logo and for the guys that came before us to help us get here.”
It will be important that they continue the game-by-game mentality and not try to look further into the future. That’s because every game at this time of the year is going to be a battle.
Up next for Florida is the Maryland Terrapins, who just won their Round of 32 game with a buzzer-beater against Colorado State. This game is scheduled to tip at 7:39 p.m. EDT on Thursday. It will be televised on TBS and TruTV.
