The Florida Gators wasted no time proving why they earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, delivering a dominant 95-69 victory over 16th-seeded Norfolk State in the West Region’s first round on Friday night.
Walter Clayton Jr., fresh off being named a first-team All-American earlier this week, put on a show, knocking down four three-pointers and scoring a game-high 23 points. The Southeastern Conference champions built a massive 32-point first-half lead and never looked back, securing their seventh consecutive win and setting up a high-stakes second-round matchup against No. 8 seed UConn, the two-time defending national champion.
From the opening tip, Florida (31-4) imposed its will. Clayton’s four-point play just five minutes into the game pushed the Gators’ lead into double digits, and they never let Norfolk State (24-11) threaten an upset. By the four-minute mark of the first half, Florida had stretched the margin to a staggering 53-21.
Even with Clayton getting some rest on the bench, the Gators kept rolling, shooting 60% (18-of-30) from the field early and moving the ball efficiently—recording 20 assists on 29 made field goals by the end of the night.
Norfolk State, to its credit, fought back late in the first half with an 11-0 run, sparked by Christian Ings (16 points) and Jaylani Darden (15 points). However, the Spartans never came close to making it a competitive contest in the second half.
The victory marked the first NCAA Tournament win for head coach Todd Golden, whose Gators suffered a heartbreaking 102-100 loss to 10th-seeded Colorado in last year’s first round.
“This was a statement game for us,” Golden said postgame. “We came in with a focus, played our brand of basketball, and took care of business. Now, we have to get ready for a big one on Sunday.”
Florida’s next test will be a massive one. The Gators will face No. 8 seed UConn in the second round after the defending champions handled No. 9 seed Oklahoma 67-59. The Huskies have won back-to-back national titles and will provide a significantly tougher challenge than Norfolk State.
Norfolk State head coach Robert Jones was vocal before the game about his team being a 28.5-point underdog, asking, “Are we that bad?” His Spartans ultimately covered the spread, outscoring Florida over the final 23 minutes. After the game, Jones smiled and said, “I told you we wasn’t no 30-point underdog.”
The Gators left no doubt, shooting 60% in the first half and dismantling the undersized Spartans. If they can maintain that offensive efficiency and ball movement, they will be a tough out moving forward.
With the first hurdle cleared, all eyes now turn to Sunday, where Florida will look to take down a dynasty and punch its ticket to the Sweet 16.
