Alijah Martin finishes a baseline drive with a nasty second-half dunk in the Gators' 95-69 win Friday night in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
RALEIGH, N.C. – Postgame chatter largely focused on how Florida, ranked fourth nationally, stumbled to close the first half on Friday night. After building a massive lead, the Gators lost focus and allowed Norfolk State to string together 11 unanswered points. In the second half, Florida’s typically elite defense showed cracks, giving up easy scores in the paint—an unusual sight for a team known for its defensive prowess.
Less attention was paid to the explosive start, where Florida surged ahead by 32 points in just over 16 minutes, fueled by sharp execution and hot shooting.
That’s the reality for a No. 1 seed in March Madness—high expectations and scrutiny. Despite some frustrating stretches, Florida (31–4) came away with a dominant 95–69 win in the West Region opener at Lenovo Center. The team has now won seven straight and 13 of its last 14 games. Up next: a second-round matchup on Sunday against No. 8 seed Connecticut (24–10), the reigning back-to-back national champions who defeated Oklahoma 67–59 in the late game.
Senior point guard and first-team All-American Walter Clayton Jr. led the way with 23 points, including 16 in the first half and four made threes during Florida’s early scoring blitz. The Gators were up 53–21 with 3:15 left in the half after converting 18 of their first 32 shots, including seven from beyond the arc.
Then momentum shifted.
"We got a little lazy," said backup guard Denzel Aberdeen following Florida’s first NCAA Tournament win in four years. "It was our first game, so we're going to learn from this and build on it."
Clayton, who surpassed 2,000 career points during the game, finished 6-of-11 from the field and 4-of-9 from deep, adding five rebounds but also committing four of Florida’s 12 turnovers. Fifth-year guard Alijah Martin contributed 17 points, while sophomore forward Thomas Haugh added 13 points and four assists off the bench. Sophomore Alex Condon chipped in 12 points, and junior center Micah Handlogten recorded six points and eight rebounds. Senior guard Will Richard, despite a tough shooting night (1-for-6), tallied five assists.
Senior guard Walter Clayton Jr. (1) drives for a bucket against the Spartans on his way to a game-high 23 points.
Midgame Lapse Highlights Florida’s Need for Sharpened Focus After racing out to a massive lead, Florida never saw its advantage dip below 19 points—doing so only twice early in the second half. Still, the final minutes of the first half raised concerns.
"We're more worried about process, and our process was not nearly as good after the first 15 minutes of the game," said UF head coach Todd Golden. "Regardless of the final score, we just weren't as sharp as we expect to be, and what we feel like we need to be if we want to make a run in this tournament."
During that stretch, Norfolk State connected on five straight field goals while Florida missed its last six shots and committed four turnovers. The sequence frustrated Golden enough that he reportedly broke a grease board in the locker room during halftime.
It was mostly smiles for UF coach Todd Golden, who won his first NCAA Tournament game Friday in his third try.
Florida’s dominant first-half performance didn’t fully carry over after the break. Though the Gators won the second half 42–37, Norfolk State—champions of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference—matched their energy and exposed some defensive gaps. Their speedy four-guard lineup proved more agile than Florida’s taller frontcourt, with Christian Ings (16 points), Jaylani Darden (15 points, 6 rebounds), and reserve Chris Fields Jr. (14 points) consistently attacking the rim. The Spartans outscored Florida 48–36 in the paint.
"I told y'all we weren't no 30-point underdog," said Norfolk State head coach Robert Jones.
With 8:31 remaining, NSU was converting 73.3% of its two-point attempts (11-of-15), though Florida still held a 21-point lead. The Gators ultimately won by 26—marking their largest NCAA Tournament margin of victory since 2017.
"I'm not necessarily concerned moving forward that it's going to be an issue for us," said Florida head coach Todd Golden. His team shot 48% overall and limited NSU to 46%, allowing just two made three-pointers. "We played exceptionally well for the first 15 minutes and kind of exhaled. Norfolk's good. They're quick. They're really hard to keep in front, and I thought our defensive intensity for the first 15 minutes of the game was elite. We did a great job of staying in front, guarding with physicality. Then when we took a little bit of a breath, we actually had some bad turnovers that led to transition run-outs that gave them a little juice, a little confidence."
Despite the lapse, Florida players remained confident.
"We got a little comfortable," said Thomas Haugh. "It won't happen again."
It can’t afford to. With the Gators’ championship aspirations, any repeat could prove costly.
Email senior writer Chris Harry at chrish@gators.ufl.edu
