What Happened

RALEIGH, N.C. — The Gators launched their bid for a Final Four run in impressive fashion. It took all of 31 seconds.

The fourth-ranked Gators, the No. 1 seed in the West Region, cruised to a 95-69 victory over 16th-seed Norfolk State on Friday night in their first game of the NCAA Tournament. Senior guard Walter Clayton Jr. announced Florida’s presence in March Madness with a 3-pointer from near the center-court logo at the Lenovo Center for the game’s first points.

Clayton’s basket was a de facto kill shot as Florida never trailed on the way to its seventh consecutive victory, and 25th win of the season by double figures. The win was also UF’s first NCAA Tournament victory under head coach Todd Golden, who took over the program in 2022.

“We obviously played so well in the first 15 minutes of the game, but we relaxed a little bit,” Golden told TNT afterward. “Still, really happy with the win. We’ve got to clean it up a little bit to get ready for Sunday. It’s very unusual to be a No. 1 seed and not have an NCAA Tournament win under your belt.”

Meanwhile, Clayton continued to shoot from deep and the shots kept falling, including a four-point play in the early going that capped a 10-0 run to put the Gators up, 13-2, less than five minutes into the contest. Clayton scored 13 of his 23 points in the first six minutes as Florida raced to a 19-5 lead and never looked back.

The Gators’ biggest lead in the first half was 32 points after a pair of free throws by Rueben Chinyelu with 3:15 remaining until halftime. Florida led 53-21 when the Spartans strung together their best stretch of the game to finish the first half on a 11-0 run, trimming UF’s lead at the break to 53-32.

Still, the Gators had asserted their dominance and had the game in control. UF shot 50 percent (18 of 36) and connected on 7 of 19 from deep in the opening 20 minutes. Clayton led the way with 16 points as the overmatched Spartans switched from a zone to a full-court press in the opening minutes to no avail.

The closest Norfolk State got in the second half was 18, when Jaylani Darden hit a jumper to trim the lead to 72-54 with 9:26 remaining.

Four Gators scored in double figures, as Alijah Martin added 17, Thomas Haugh chipped in 13, and Alex Condon scored 12 points with five rebounds and three assists.

What it Means

UF improved to 11-1 all-time as a No. 1 seed and 17-6 in first-round games, discounting the victories in 1987 and ’88 that were vacated due to NCAA sanctions. … The Gators joined 1-seed Auburn, 2 seeds Alabama and Tennessee, as the highest-seeded SEC teams, all of which advanced through the first round.  

In the Spotlight

Clayton showed a national audience why he is the first player in school history to earn first-team All-America honors. Fresh off being named the SEC Tournament MVP, Clayton added to his career accolades by eclipsing 2,000 career points when he scored on a drive to the basket early in the second half.
 

Staggering Statistic

Florida’s 53 points in the first half marked the first time in the program’s NCAA Tournament history (66 games) that the Gators scored 50 or more points in the first half. The previous high was 48 in a 78-64 second-round win over Minnesota in 2013.
 

Up Next

Florida (31-4) will face the winner of the bracket’s nightcap game between No. 8-seed and two-time reigning national champion Connecticut (23-10) or No. 9-seed Oklahoma (20-13). The Gators have lost five straight against the Huskies, dating to 2013 and including in the 2014 NCAA semifinals. UF defeated Oklahoma 85-63 in their regular-season Southeastern Conference game at Gainesville on Feb. 18. 

Senior writer Scott Carter contributed to this report. Email senior writer Chris Harry at chrish@gators.ufl.edu.