Florida took care of business as the top seed in the West Region of the 2025 NCAA Tournament by avoiding an upset against 16-seed Norfolk State Friday night in a 96-69 Gators win.
Walter Clayton Jr. led the scoring with a game-high 23 points, half of which came in the first 10 minutes of the game to help set the tone. Alijah Martin (17), Thomas Haugh (13) and Alex Condon (12) all reached double digits in the points column, and the Gators outrebounded the Spartans, 41-28. Florida also won the assists battle, 20-11, but finished the game with the same 12 turnovers — four from Clayton — as Norfolk State.
The 15 minutes were dominant from the Orange and Blue, but the next 20 lacked a certain amount of effort. The Gators led by 18 or more for the entirety of the second half, but this was a game that had the potential to end with a 35-point margin. Still, Florida looked like a top offense in the country and showed anyone who hadn’t been paying attention why they earned a No. 1 seed.
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Florida starts its March Madness run loudly
Todd Golden likes to break the 40-minute game into 10 four-minute minigames, and Florida had things wrapped up by the end of two of those minigames. The Gators limited the Spartans to 2-of-10 shooting through the first eight minutes while shooting over 50% themselves, leading to a 26-7 margin. Walter Clayton scored half of those points, and Rueben Chinyelu dominated the boards early with six rebounds, including four on the offensive glass.
Norfolk State looked simply outmatched in every aspect of the game, which is what most expect when tuning into a 1-seed facing a 16-seed.
“I think we’re playing really hard, really physically,” Golden during a media timeout. “Obviously, Walt’s playing fantastically, making a lot of really tough shots, but he’s getting other people involved. Others are stepping up. Defensively, we’ve been great. Got to be a little bit better on the defensive glass, but we’re playing pretty well right now.”
Alijah Martin takes over
The next eight minutes looked much like the first eight, with Florida outscoring Norfolk State 25-12. The Spartans shot much better (50%) but the gap continued to grow as Alijah Martin and Thomas Haugh led the scoring. A lot of unselfishness led to buckets during this stretch. Alex Condon passed up some good looks down low to find Denzel Aberdeen beyond the arc, and Florida remained perfect at the free-throw line to help build the margin.
Chinyelu got called for a technical foul after a little post-whistle activity, but so did an NSU player which meant the two offset. No harm, no foul shots.
A not so great middle eight
Norfolk State went on a run during the final four minutes of the first half, cutting the deficit down from 32 to 21 points and holding Florida scoreless over the final 4 minutes and 33 seconds. Will Richard was unusually quiet, shooting 0-for-4 through the first half, but he did get two points on the board from the charity stripe.
“We just got complacent, started being lazy and they took advantage of it,” Martin said heading into the break. “So, we’ve got to come out stronger… 20 minutes, never lose focus and get the job done.”
Florida got back on pace in the first minigame out of the halftime break. The Gators only outscored the Spartans by two points over those four minutes, but a lot of those buckets came on free throws as NSU’s foul total continued to climb.
Norfolk State’s top scorer, Brian Moore Jr., reached four fouls with 16 minutes left in the game and scored his first two points after halftime. Shutting down a team’s best scorer is the way good teams advance in the NCAA Tournament, and it’s a very good sign that Florida kept Moore quiet, even if a few unnecessary fouls helped make it possible.
Don’t play down to your opponent’s level
Even though Martin said before halftime that the message would be for Florida to come out stronger in the second half, the Gators did a decent job of playing down to its opponent after the break. Some of it was Golden giving backups more minutes, but Norfolk State got into the paint plenty against Florida’s deep rotation of big men.
It makes sense to not push the issue when up more than 20 points, but Florida looked lazy far too often as the game dragged on. The occasional block or steal came around, but UF seemed to lose its edge until the final eight minutes.
A strong finish
Florida controlled the final eight minutes of the game as Norfolk State pushed to close the 20-point gap. NSU was deep into foul trouble, finishing the game with 24 — one bench guy fouled out and two starters were one away from ending their season early — so Florida played physically, crashing the boards and getting to the line. Eight of Florida’s 19 points in the final eight minutes were from the line, and the Gators ended the game 27-of-33 from the stripe.
Free throw shooting has been a problem for the Gators at times this year, so it’s yet another good sign to see these guys comfortable. Of course, making the same shots under the pressure of a close game can be far more difficult.
Florida faces the winner of UConn-Oklahoma on Sunday. The Huskies and Sooners play at 9:40 following the Gators game.
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