MVG: Gators fought back from a 6-point deficit at the 9:00 mark of the second half to pull out a tightly contested game to dethrone 2-time defending NCAA Tournament Champion UConn Huskies 77-75. Leading the Gators to victory was poised senior Alijah Martin who scored 18 points with 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, and zero turnovers for a Value Score of 87. Martin was the Gators one bright spot throughout the game constantly flashing his power and speed to the rim (including 2-pt bucket on a missed Condon free throw) and his dogged tenacity on defense to lead the Gators. Will Richard was another tenacious perimeter defender who scored 15 points with 6 boards, 2 assists and 3 steals for 78 Value Credits. Walter Clayton Jr comes in third with 23 points, 3 boards, 1 assist but also committing 5 turnovers for 58 points. Walter shouldered the brunt of ball duties against an attacking defense that resulted in his 5 turnovers, but when the game was on the line, Clayton Jr came through with huge buckets to help seal the victory. Tied at Half! Defending UConn Huskies did not give up their NCAA Championship aspirations without fighting to the very last moments of the game. Gator fans knew they were in a battle to the end when UConn managed to tie the Gators at half and then took temporary control through the first 11 minutes of the 2nd half with 5 and 6-point leads. It was at that point the depth and tenacious energy of the Gators defense held the Huskies without a basket for five minutes allowing Florida to pull even and eventually take an 8-point lead (74-66) with 21 seconds left. That was just enough as the Gators held on for the 77-75 victory. Box Score Value Leaders - Super Senior Guards Martinlllll......87 Richardc.lllll.l78 Clayton Jrc.lil58 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 UConn Huskies:...NCAA 32 Box Score Post Game:..l......ESPN Video Highlights The Gators play Maryland on Thursday, March 27th in the Chase Center, San Francisco (7:39 PM, TBS)
Clayton & Richard were huge down the stretch. Condon hit a big front end of a one & one. So many things the players did down the stretch to pull this one out. Sorry to be off-topic for this thread, but to Dan Hurley . . .
At his press conference, he chose not to say anything kind about us ending their 13 game NCAA tourney win streak and then he broke down. It was an utterly devastating loss for them as Hurley and three players could hardly talk at this press conference. Frankly, I was surprised Hurley kept his head in one hand all during the QA session.
Martin kept us in it during the first half, but when he clanged the transition dunk (not the first time) and followed it with two miss free throws, I thought he would be sitting out for awhile. To his credit, he continued to play great defense and hit some key shots.
We keep saying that our key players keep stepping up when others do not, and in this case, our 3 guards all played crucial roles in the victory, at different times during vital stretches throughout.
Martin is a consummate performer. This is a vocal and animated team and he is one of the key leaders. We are blessed to have him on our team.
Few things: UF went mad-dog defense the last 6 - 7 minutes. The defensive intensity and the will to win were incredible from my point of view. UF refused to wilt and lose and UCONN, to their credit, played well enough to win against most teams, perhaps any other team. They did not play like an 8 seed IMO. While Walter did not have the greatest value score, his last 5 minutes were........a thing of beauty. You all saw his team-mates wanting him to take the rock and score, and he came through. When the rubber had to hit the road, he showed us all why he IS deserving of All American accolades. Not to be Captain obvious but the Senior Guards kept us alive and won this thing. What a trio, Clayton, Richard and Martin are making a case for one of the best ever rotations. Throw in Aberdeen and Klavzar, .....wow. Guess tha'ts why UF is 32-4. Maryland will be tough but I have a feeling the Gators will be more like they were in the SEC tournament this next round.
Great points, all accurate. I thought we came out fine yesterday; confident, not nervous, aggressive. For some reason, UConn maybe, we lost our edge after coming out strong; Far too many turnovers and out of synch. UConn surely altered our normal style and slowed us down into half-court play, which we can win without turnovers. They are not the first team we’ve played that has slowed us down. Turnovers and missed FT’s are our death knell sometimes. But, we awoke from our slumber just in time! I credit Coach and the players for their continued effort in a tough position. We all know this team refuses to quit. If we go down, it’s going to be a hell if a fight. I’m super proud of this team this year, no matter what else happens, only 16 teams left and we play on. Finally, I give no credit to UConn and their sore loser coach, they don’t deserve it after their classless post game conference. Go Gators!!!
I saw one UConn fan post who summed up the outcome of the game as such: “You had Walter Clayton Jr, and we didn’t.” Clearly there was a lot more to that game, but if Clayton were playing for UConn instead of Florida, I absolutely think the outcome falls the other way.
Great stuff Jim. Thanks, others have mentioned it, perhaps (I hope) this will be like the narrow Georgetown Victory for the 06 Squad. UCONN hardened Gator steel for the upcoming sweet 16. The Gators can certainly improve on turnovers, and FT shooting for sure. But UCONN is an example of why teams that are deep and capable at every position make deep runs. I know Maryland will be tough and UF may have to play Arkansas (whom is on a heater of their own) but I love UF's chances. For us basketball fanatics this Gator team has been such a treat. Beautiful basketball really, almost a form of art. UF may or may not win the crown but it sure has been a great ride. Todd knows how to construct a roster. I think we have our Billy D 2.0 finally!
UConn had a great game plan and had excellent execution of that game plan. Chapeau. We were just better when it counted.
