OFFER: Use promo code UF60 to receive 60 days of FREE PREMIUM access!
After a turnover-filled, high-scoring matchup where the Gators only trailed for 5:20, it was Oral Roberts that prevailed over Mike White’s program in the second round of March Madness.
The Gators finished their night led by none other than Tre Mann and Noah Locke. Through the loss, Mann came up with 19 points, seven rebounds and four assists, while Locke finished with 17 points and four rebounds.
Oral Roberts kept it close the entire time though, and to no surprise, their leaders in the matchup were Kevin Obanor, who posted 28 points and 11 rebounds, and Max Abmas.
Abmas is the NCAA’s leading scorer and finished the night with 26 points, seven assists and two rebounds to lead Oral Roberts to a 81-78 victory.
The big factor tonight in the second half, and entire game, was turnovers. The Gators just couldn’t manage to handle the ball correctly, and without a doubt it cost them the game. They had 20 turnovers total compared to Oral Roberts' 12.
"They switched their ball-screen coverage in the first half," said Tre Mann. "I think they were trying to down and their big man was on the left side to where they were trying to down too, but I just rejected it so it was an open lane every time I rejected the down.
"I did that in the second half and they were on it, so obviously they changed it up at halftime. That's what they did, they changed up their ball-screen coverage. I didn't get the wide-open looks that I was getting (in the first half)."
Oral Roberts caught fire in the second half, and even through their struggles just picked apart the Gator defense which couldn’t seem to make up their mind on what defense they wanted to run. Mike White said in yesterday's press conference they would be making changes on the fly and he wasn’t lying. The Gators switched from a 1-3-1, to a zone, to man-to-man multiple times, but nothing seemed to click.
The Golden Eagles played quality basketball tonight, and even though the stat sheet can be deceiving, they finished their night 46 percent from the field and 33 percent from three, missing only four free throws tonight.
While every Gator fan wants to put the loss on the referees and Mike White, tonight it just seemed like a lack of basketball IQ and poor ball-handling. It was also another game shooting 55 percent from the field and 32 percent from behind the arc. It seemed like the Gators would walk out with the win, but yet again, the stat line didn’t decide everything.
It is a long offseason ahead, so we will see if Mike White will have his squad ready for when the Gators hit the court next.
Who knows? Maybe we will even see Keyontae Johnson join them. He has yet to make his decision on returning to college basketball and we all know he wants to more than anything, but he will truly have to listen to his heart on that big decision.
The Golden Eagles will move on to face the Arkansas Razorbacks, who are one of the most dangerous teams in the SEC.
"It was everything that we saw. Everything that coach told us was going to happen, it happened," said Tre Mann. "You don't really realize it until you're doing it. I mean, you could realize it, but you don't know how good they are until you actually play them.
"They move the ball very well. They have two elite scorers on their team and everybody is able to knock down shots. When you're playing a team like that, it's hard to defend and they did a good job today."
Numbers to Note
* Florida closes its season with a 15-10 mark, advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, one of six teams in the nation to earn an NCAA Tournament win in each of the last four tournaments (Florida State, Gonzaga, Kansas, Michigan, Villanova).
* The streak of four straight NCAA Tournaments with a win matches the longest in program history (2011-14).
* Tre Mann led the Gators with 19 points and added seven rebounds and four assists. Over his final seven games of the season, Mann averaged 20.9 points per game. He finishes his All-SEC sophomore campaign with a 16.0 scoring average, the highest points per game by a Gator since Nick Calathes averaged 17.2 in 2008-09.
* Mann increased his scoring average by 10.7 points per game this season compared to his freshman season, matching Joakim Noah's +10.7 bump in 2005-06 as the largest jump by a Gator over the past 25 years.
* Colin Castleton posted a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds, shooting 5-for-6 from the floor. Following Castleton's 19-point, 14-rebound effort in the first round, he becomes the third Gator to post back-to-back double-doubles in NCAA Tournament play.
* Joakim Noah: 15 points, 10 rebounds, 3/24/06; 21 points, 15 rebounds, 3/26/06 vs. Villanova * Alex Tyus: 19 points, 15 rebounds, 3/24/11 vs. BYU; 14 points, 10 rebounds, 3/26/11 vs. Butler