Florida Gators advance to first Elite Eight since 2017 due to massive success in one key area

Gators advance to Elite Eight due to rebounding

It was a domination in the second half by the Gators, outscoring the Terrapins by 16 points. They did so without having their star forward Alex Condon for the majority of the game, as he rolled his ankle while starting a fast break in the first half. 

Now, Condon did return, but there is some concern, as he missed three games after injuring the same ankle earlier this season. He did return in the second half, playing 14 minutes in the big win.

“Condo, we didn’t know we were going to have him in the second half. Credit to him, he wanted to be out there with his teammates. He fought to get back out on the court. Loose ball, just dives on it, makes a winning play. Pops it up to Micah and he tips it a couple times puts the ball in,” Golden said.

Even without Condon, the Gators dominated on the glass. They outrebounded Maryland by more than double at 42-20. That was a huge advantage, especially since they outscored the Terrapins on second chance points 21-9, which was a big factor in the Gators' win.

“Those are back-breakers," said Golden. "When your energy and your extra effort lead to baskets or turnovers, when you’re on the defensive end, those kind of deflate your opponents. I thought our guys did a wonderful job over the last 20 minutes of the game making play after play that kept them at bay.”

The Gators didn't just do a great job on the glass, they shot 50% from the field and 39.3% from three point range. They also had six players in double figures with Will Richard leading the way with 15 points.

Saturday night, the Gators will look to make their fifth Final Four and first since 2014 when they face three seed Texas Tech.