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The Florida Gators are headed to the Elite Eight after a Sweet 16 victory over the Maryland Terrapins, 87-71, on Thursday night.
Florida jumped out to an early lead but slowed down heading into the half with All-Conference forward Alex Condon in the locker room being evaluated with an ankle injury. Condon eventually returned, but the Gators had the game in control for most of the second half without needing him. Depth has been a plus for this program all year, and the Gators' other bigs stepped up with their leading man out.
The guard trio of Walter Clayton Jr. Alijah Martin Will Richard led the scoring with 13, 14 and 15 points, respectively. Forward Rueben Chinyelu and Thomas Haugh dominated the glass and both reached double figures in points as well. Off the bench, Denzel Aberdeen shot an efficient 5-of-7 for 12 points over 19 minutes.
Turnovers and bench scoring are the two big stats that earned the Gators the win. Florida gave the ball away 11 times in the first half but took better care of the ball after the break and grew the lead to win 16 points.
In the middle of an early 11-0 run from Florida, Condon hobbled off to the side of the court, favoring his left leg. He didn't want to put pressure on the right ankle, the same one he hurt earlier in the year. The Gators got X-rays on it and listed him as questionable coming out of halftime, but he returned to the court after using the exercise bike and doing some sprints in the tunnel.
Condon didn't look limited once he came back in, but some of that has to be adrenaline and whatever pain-dampening resources the training staff used. Golden still used him sparingly, and a good chunk of his minutes came when the Gators had a double-digit lead with the game winding down. Condon finished the night with six points (3-of-4 FG), four rebounds and two assists.
His status will be a hot topic heading into the Elite Eight on Saturday, but it's hard to see him missing the game entirely.
In the wake of Condon's injury, Rueben Chinyelu and Thomas Haugh stepped up big time. Micah Handlogten was also part of the mix, but he played limited minutes due to foul trouble. Chinyelu and Haugh nearly out-rebounded Maryland by themselves, 20-17. Haugh came a rebound shy of a double-double, and Chinyelu was on pace to notch one before he fouled out of the game with four minutes remaining.
Haugh was only 3-for-9 from the field, but he buried 6-of-8 free throws and grabbed nine boards, allowing Condon to stay off the court as much as possible. He played starter minutes and was the driving force behind a 29-3 difference in points off the bench.
Florida's guards take turns having big nights, and while all members of the Big 3 were sharp on Thursday, this was the Will Richard's best game of the NCAA Tournament. He drained three from beyond the arc and shot an efficient 6-of-9 overall. He turned the ball over three times but made up for it with three assists and grabbed four rebounds.
Throughout the season, Florida has seen Richard go through highs and lows, and it's been plainly obvious that the good Richard needed to come out for this team to make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament. It's till championship or bust for this group, but Richard's performance in the Sweet 16 will not be forgotten, regardless of what happens moving forward.
Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as Bluesky, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.
This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Florida Gators basketball beats Maryland Terrapins in NCAA Tournament
Continue reading...
Florida jumped out to an early lead but slowed down heading into the half with All-Conference forward Alex Condon in the locker room being evaluated with an ankle injury. Condon eventually returned, but the Gators had the game in control for most of the second half without needing him. Depth has been a plus for this program all year, and the Gators' other bigs stepped up with their leading man out.
The guard trio of Walter Clayton Jr. Alijah Martin Will Richard led the scoring with 13, 14 and 15 points, respectively. Forward Rueben Chinyelu and Thomas Haugh dominated the glass and both reached double figures in points as well. Off the bench, Denzel Aberdeen shot an efficient 5-of-7 for 12 points over 19 minutes.
Turnovers and bench scoring are the two big stats that earned the Gators the win. Florida gave the ball away 11 times in the first half but took better care of the ball after the break and grew the lead to win 16 points.
Con-down but not out
In the middle of an early 11-0 run from Florida, Condon hobbled off to the side of the court, favoring his left leg. He didn't want to put pressure on the right ankle, the same one he hurt earlier in the year. The Gators got X-rays on it and listed him as questionable coming out of halftime, but he returned to the court after using the exercise bike and doing some sprints in the tunnel.
Condon didn't look limited once he came back in, but some of that has to be adrenaline and whatever pain-dampening resources the training staff used. Golden still used him sparingly, and a good chunk of his minutes came when the Gators had a double-digit lead with the game winding down. Condon finished the night with six points (3-of-4 FG), four rebounds and two assists.
His status will be a hot topic heading into the Elite Eight on Saturday, but it's hard to see him missing the game entirely.
Other bigs step up
In the wake of Condon's injury, Rueben Chinyelu and Thomas Haugh stepped up big time. Micah Handlogten was also part of the mix, but he played limited minutes due to foul trouble. Chinyelu and Haugh nearly out-rebounded Maryland by themselves, 20-17. Haugh came a rebound shy of a double-double, and Chinyelu was on pace to notch one before he fouled out of the game with four minutes remaining.
Haugh was only 3-for-9 from the field, but he buried 6-of-8 free throws and grabbed nine boards, allowing Condon to stay off the court as much as possible. He played starter minutes and was the driving force behind a 29-3 difference in points off the bench.
Will Richard cooked
Florida's guards take turns having big nights, and while all members of the Big 3 were sharp on Thursday, this was the Will Richard's best game of the NCAA Tournament. He drained three from beyond the arc and shot an efficient 6-of-9 overall. He turned the ball over three times but made up for it with three assists and grabbed four rebounds.
Throughout the season, Florida has seen Richard go through highs and lows, and it's been plainly obvious that the good Richard needed to come out for this team to make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament. It's till championship or bust for this group, but Richard's performance in the Sweet 16 will not be forgotten, regardless of what happens moving forward.
Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as Bluesky, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.
This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Florida Gators basketball beats Maryland Terrapins in NCAA Tournament
Continue reading...
