In what was built up as a defensive battle turned out to be an absolute blowout as a 12-0 run to end the first half was just the beginning as Florida routs Virginia 65-39 to advance to the sweet sixteen and face Wisconsin next week. Devin Robinson’s fifth career double-double (14 points, 11 rebounds) led all scorers as the Cavaliers offense was ice cold from the field as the Gators found their rhythm early and never looked back.
Virginia and Florida met wits early for a good majority of the first half as both teams defenses began to take hold in exactly what the experts felt the game would become. However the Cavaliers offense went silent after the first ten minutes of the game as the team scored 13 of their 39 points in those ten minutes.
The Gators led by Robinson and Justin Leon ran the last eleven minutes of the first half on a 20-4 run, ending the half on a 12-0 run and a Kevarrius Hayes slam as time expired.
Things didn’t get much better for the Cavaliers in the second half of the ballgame as the Gators extended their run from the first half to a 21-0 run and led by as much as 29 points. Chris Chiozza and Canyon Barry combined for 14 points and seven assists off the bench. Leon finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds as Virginia shot 30.2% from the field, including only 1-15 from behind the arc.
The Florida Gators advance to the sweet sixteen for the first time under head coach Mike White and will face Wisconsin in New York city next Friday for a chance to advance to the elite eight.
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