MVG: Don't let the score fool you. The Gators opened up their NCAA journey with a 95-69 victory over Norfolk St but the game was over early. Walter Clayton Jr scored 13 points and handed out 2 assists as the Gators bolted out to a 19-5 lead in the first 6 minutes of the game. Clayton Jr ended with 23 points and 5 rebounds for a team leading Value Score of 85. Alex Condon added 12 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 blocks for 80 Value Credits. Thomas Haugh came off the bench to round out the top three by scoring 13 points with 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks and no turnovers for a Value Score of 78. Hide the Women and the Children! OMG, the Gators, led by an arsonist named Walter Clayton Jr, came out of the gate on fire and totally abused/ravished/annihilated Norfolk State, outscoring the Spartans 52-19 in the first 16 minutes of the game. From that point on, Florida lost focus and intensity for much of the game as the outcome was never in doubt. When the Spartans occasionally narrowed the gap to 20 points, the Gators seemingly expanded the lead at will but never came close to matching their intensity at the start of the game. Florida could have easily hit triple digits and humiliated their overmatched opponent but, as we know, that is not the character of this Gator team to humiliate another team that was honored just to have earned the opportunity to play in the NCAA Tournament. This opening game was just a warmup. The real fun begins Sunday as the Florida Gators get their opportunity to end the Connecticut Huskies reign as two-time defending NCAA Tournament Champs. Key Team Stats: Gators had a healthy 20 assists and continue to be dominant on the boards with 41-28 edge over the Spartans including collecting 21 offensive rebounds. The Gators also held the Spartans to 14% shooting from the 3-point line. Box Score Value Leaders Clayton Jrc..il85 Condonc.lll...l80 Haughlllll......78 Click on thumbnail below for all Value Scores. Value Credits* are assigned as follows: +5 credits for each Steal and Assist +4 credits for each Point scored, Rebound and Block .-5 credits for each Turnover .-1.5 credits for each Field Goal Attempt .-0.75 credit for each Free Throw Attempt * Value Credits are based solely on Box Score data and do not reflect total game contributions by players Norfolk St: l. NCAA Opener Box Score Post Game: l ESPN Video Highlights The Gators play the UConn Huskies on Sunday at 12:10 PM (CBS)
The Cinderella story requires the Gators to play and take out UConn. If Oklahoma wins, I'll update accordingly.
Dan Hurley is the walking talking embodiment of a penis. This game won't be good for my heart health but getting some payback for UConn will make this special season a little more special.
Methinks the UConn game is going to be less about exorcizing the demons of UConns past (recall, they got us to our first FF) but rather exorcising (or is it exercising?) the demon known as Golden and his desire for this team and what they ended up doing (or should I say not doing) against N State. It should be a bloodbath, and in a good way.
