Gators Advance to Elite Eight with 87-71 Win Over Maryland

SAN FRANCISCO — For the first time in eight seasons, the Florida Gators are heading to the Elite Eight.

Despite 17 turnovers, having no players score over 20 points and only holding a two-point lead at the halftime break, the Gators on Thursday defeated No. 4 Maryland, 87-71, with a strong second-half effort and overall dominance on the glass.

As a team, Florida out-rebounded Maryland 42-20, 15 of which came on the offensive end, including a nine-rebound effort from Thomas Haugh off the bench and an eight-rebound effort from Rueben Chinyelu.

Chinyelu and Haugh, who accounted for 32 minutes, accounted for most of Florida’s frontcourt production as starter Alex Condon exited the game with 12:16 left in the first half due to an ankle injury. He wouldn’t return until there was 13:29 left in the second half and finished with six points.

“It’s something I think we have seen all year,” Chinyelu said of playing undermanned for the bulk of the game. “So we were just being able to keep our poise in that moment and know it’s just us against us. And blocking out all the noise out there and just focusing on us and trusting each other.”

13 of Florida’s 17 turnovers came in the first half, leading to Florida only holding a 40-38 lead at the halftime break despite outrebounding the Terrapins, 21-10.

“I think we got a little lazy in the first half,” guard Denzel Aberdeen said. “We were kind of being loose with the ball, not really paying attention to the guards from coming behind, tapping the ball out of our hands and stuff like that.”

Florida eventually turned the corner halfway through the second half.

The Gators held an uncomfortable two-possession lead for most of the front end of the second half before Alijah Martin hit an and-one layup, extending Florida’s lead to double-digits with 10:03 left in the game.

Martin’s three points were the first in an 11-0 run as Chinyelu and Martin each hit a pair of free throws after Chinyelu drew a flagrant one foul and Martin drew a shooting foul on the ensuing possession, and Denzel Aberdeen and Haugh combined for a pair of layups.

“We were elite in the second half,” head coach Todd Golden said. “We did a great job staying aggressive, handling their pressure and their quickness and their length. Our defense stayed consistent. We were awesome on the glass all night, both sides of the ball. And we started taking advantage of the opportunities we got in transition. That allowed us to step on the gas a little bit and break away from them.”

Aberdeen, who finished with 12 points on 5-for-7 shooting off the bench, hit a 3-pointer with 4:57 left to put Florida ahead, 77-62.

The junior guard was one of six Gators who scored in double figures, headlined by Will Richard’s 15 points, 12 of which came in the final 12 minutes of first half, alongside 14 points from Martin and 13 points from All-American guard Walter Clayton Jr.

Aberdeen’s total, combined with 13 points from Haugh, added to the domination as Florida’s bench outscored Maryland’s 29-3.

“Me, Tommy and the rest of the guys on the bench, we come in with great energy. That’s what we try to do every game,” Aberdeen said. “We try to defend. Whether it’s on defense or offense, we just try to get a push on the edge because then they got a little tired in the second half. We kind of used our depth to our advantage.”

Next Up

Florida, who has now won nine-straight Sweet 16 games dating back to 2000, will face the winner of No. 3 Texas Tech and No. 10 Arkansas, which tips off at 10:20 p.m. ET with television coverage on TBS.

The Gators defeated the Razorbacks, 71-63, in the teams’ lone meeting this season on Jan. 11 at Arkansas. Meanwhile, Florida last played the Red Raiders in the 2018 NCAA Tournament, a 69-66 win over the Gators in the Round of 32.

Dates, times and TV designations for all Elite Eight matchups will be announced following the conclusion of all Sweet 16 games.