Florida did not look ready for prime time following their
performance in the SEC Championship game loss against Ole Miss. Though they may not be an elite team, they certainly turned in
an impressive performance against Northwestern State, defeating the
Demons 79-47.
After
Northwestern State kept it close in the first half, and Florida held
only an 8 point 40-32 lead, the Gators flipped a switch and outscored
the Demons 39-15 in the second half, looking outright dominant.
Star
big man Erik Murphy led the way for Florida, scoring 18 points while
top Senior guards Mike Rosario and Kenny Boynton contributed 8 and 11
points respectively after sitting out much of the first half.
Perhaps
the best news for the Gators’ title hopes came with the defeat of
Georgetown at the hands of Florida Gulf Coast. The bottom half of the
South bracket got even weaker as the Gators will now play either
underperforming Minnesota or Jordan Adams-less UCLA to move on to the
Sweet Sixteen. Once they get there, only underwhelming Florida
Gulf-Coast or either Oklahoma or San Diego State await.