Three observations on Florida Basketball going on autopilot past Norfolk State
There was minimal drama in Raleigh on Friday night as Florida Basketball cruised past Norfolk State 95-69 in a game that was effectively over seven minutes into the game. The Gators will now spend Saturday resting and preparing for the two-time defending national champions, UConn, who knocked off Oklahoma in the nightcap.
With a chance to make its first Sweet 16 since 2017, here are three observations on the win.
Game Played Out According To Script
Heading into the game, one thing we had highlighted was that Norfolk State couldn’t shoot threes, and they couldn’t rebound. Even if things went south, Florida would have enough easy points, while Norfolk State would always be limited in the runs it could make.
Sure enough, the Spartans hit just two shots from downtown, and the Gators collected 21 offensive rebounds.
Standard Are Higher
Here is how you know 2025 feels different in Gainesville compared to past seasons:
Florida just won their opening-round game of the NCAA Tournament by 26 points, and we still feel somewhat disappointed. The Gators outright admitted that they took their foot off the gas, and even against a team like Norfolk State, the Spartans stabilized and hung around.
At the core of frustration were too many out-of-rhythm shots combined with an interior defense that started to look like a turnstile.
Again, this game was never in doubt, but with UConn looming, the Gators will have to play a complete 40-minute game and not a 10-minute game.
Gators Will Have The Rest Advantage Against UConn
We know the Gators go deep in their rotation, and one advantage to taking their foot off the gas so soon was that they used very little energy. No one from Florida played more than 29 minutes.
Meanwhile, UConn had three players top 30 minutes. Now, yes, UConn star Alex Karaban normally plays the entire game, but one of the key differences between the NCAA Tournament and the rest of the season is the lack of rest between games.
Florida and UConn are playing at 12:10 PM on Sunday, which might be annoying for fans not to get a higher profile time slot, but it actually works in the favor of the Gators. Given that UConn played the late game on Friday, the Huskies are being given the shortest turnaround time possible in this tournament.
And as we saw in the SEC Tournament, Florida’s depth has a way of taking over once teams get tired.
