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Florida didn’t just survive and advance against UConn, it got a lesson in what it takes to win in March
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RALEIGH, N.C. – The warmup jerseys being worn by teams in this year’s NCAA Tournament are emblazoned with the words “Nothing Easy.”
Sunday afternoon, Florida found out that it’s more than just a slogan.
It’s a lesson that was delivered by a team that knows better than anyone what it takes to win in March.
If the Gators go on to cut down the nets as national champions 2 weeks from now in San Antonio, they’ll have UConn – the team that’s won the last 2 titles – to thank.
The Huskies put up a determined fight in an effort to hold onto their crown for at least another round as they out-hustled, out-muscled and out-played Todd Golden’s top-seeded team for the first 38 minutes of their second-round NCAA West Region showdown at Lenovo Center.
It took a little desperation and a lot of Walter Clayton Jr., but with its season on the line and its Tournament run in danger of ending almost before it could get started, Florida answered the challenge with the heart of a champion.
Clayton hit a 3-pointer with 2:54 remaining to give his team its first lead of the second half, then sparked a decisive 8-point run that finally provided the cushion for a 77-75 win that sends the Gators into the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2017.
“This is a great win for our program,” Golden said. “The time was now for us to take that next step and get Florida basketball back where it belongs. Being in the Sweet 16 is a great step in the right direction.
“It wasn’t necessarily pretty for a majority of the game for us. But that 8-0 run down the stretch was huge. Our players delivered today.”
No, it wasn’t pretty.
In fact, it was downright ugly at times.
It was a heavyweight battle in which the defending champ was determined to go down swinging if it couldn’t deliver a knockout blow.
UConn succeeded by imposing its will on Florida by turning the game into a slow-paced, physical slogfest. The Huskies frustrated the Gators into 12 turnovers and less than 40% shooting until senior guards Clayton, Alijah Martin and Will Richard – all of whom scored in double figures – decided that their college careers weren’t going to end on this court, on this day.
“I wouldn’t say (there were) nervous moments,” Richard said. “But there were moments where we knew we had to lock in and give a little extra because they were on that run and you’ve got to make plays to stop that.”
That’s a long-winded way of saying survive and advance.
Nothing else matters in March.
Now that the Gators have experienced it first-hand, they’ll be better equipped to handle the tests to come as they get progressively more challenging from here on out. Starting with a West Region semifinal date against Maryland next Thursday in San Francisco.
“A game like that lets you know that you’re ready to take that next step as a program and as a team,” Richard said. “It definitely helps us be better prepared for the next game and stuff like that, just facing adversity throughout the game and being resilient.”
In a lot of ways, Sunday’s second-round victory was every bit as impressive – if not more so – than the 26-point blowout Florida inflicted on 16th-seeded Norfolk State on Saturday.
It’s not a well-kept secret that the Gators are capable of putting the hammer down when they get out into the open court, run and make shots. The question was whether they have what it takes to adjust and find ways to win when adversity hits and things aren’t going according to plan.
It’s a question they answered with a resounding yes.
“Our guys have been pretty mentally tough all year,” Golden said. “They’ve done a good job of staying the course and kind of staying level-headed. We all know the reality, if you’re going to make a deep run in March, you’ve got to catch some breaks and you’ve got to win some games like this to be able to push through.”
It also doesn’t hurt to learn a few lessons along the way, including the one Golden’s Gators got on Sunday from a proud champion that forced them to play like a champion, too.
Award-winning columnist Brett Friedlander has covered the ACC and college basketball since the 1980s.
