The No. 1-seeded Florida Gators are in Raleigh, North Carolina, for the first and second rounds of the NCAA tournament. The Gators face 16-seed Norfolk State Friday in their opening game at the Lenovo Center, home of the North Carolina State Wolfpack.
Florida won the SEC championship just hours before it was announced they would be headed to Raleigh as a No. 1 seed in the national tournament. Now, they face the Spartans, who also won their conference championship and have a starting lineup consisting entirely of seniors.
According to Florida guard Will Richard, the team is focused on staying grounded and taking it one game at a time.
“You can't get content. Just knowing that we have to have elite focus going around every game and attacking every [game] like it’s going to be our last. It’s win or go home, so you better bring it,” Richard said.
Richard and the rest of Florida’s offense have been the highlight of the season due to their scoring power. The Gators finished the regular season ranked No. 1 in the country in offensive efficiency, according to KenPom ratings.
Head coach Todd Golden reflected on how the team has evolved since last season.
“I thought we were close last year. We did a lot of good things. We were fantastic offensively. We were explosive, averaged close to 90 a game. But we also had some areas of weakness in our defense, specifically a spot that we were really inconsistent, and we didn’t play consistently at the level to be a very, very good team,” Golden said.
This season, the Gators rank in the top 10 nationally in defense. Acquisitions from the transfer portal, such as Alijah Martin and Rueben Chinyelu, have elevated the team’s physicality and defense while also contributing on offense. Star guard Walter Clayton Jr. noted that the team’s depth has been a key factor in its success.
“The fact that we got multiple guys that can do multiple things. We got multiple guys that can be on ball, off ball. So I think it’s just a healthy balance of guys just, depending on the game, whatever game it is. Guys just provide different things,” Clayton said.