Florida vs. Norfolk State score, takeaways: (1) Gators start hot, finish flat in lopsided March Madness win

Basketball

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Image Credit: UAA

It was as impressive a start as one could desire for the No. 1 seed Florida Gators over the first 16 minutes of 2025 NCAA Tournament play on Friday night. The Gators appeared unstoppable on both ends of the court and in the process of potentially setting multiple records in their showdown against the No. 16 seed Norfolk State Spartans.

Unfortunately, there were 24 minutes of game yet to be played. While Florida had no trouble moving past Norfolk State with a 95-69 victory during the first round of March Madness in Raleigh, North Carolina, its play over the latter stages of the contest was uninspired at best, concerning at worst for a program that has defeated many of the nation’s best teams coming out of the toughest conference in the country.

Gators head coach Todd Golden won his first NCAA Tournament game in three tries as Florida advanced past the first round for the ninth time in 10 appearances. UF also improved to 11-1 all-time as a No. 1 seed with its prior two opportunities resulting in Final Four berths and a national championship.

Let’s take a look at what went down Friday night with some Fastbreak Takeaways.

It was over when … Florida used a 21-3 run to jump ahead by 19 points just 7 minutes into the game. Senior point guard Walter Clayton Jr. drained a trio of 3-pointers (converting one into a 4-point play) — and made three free throws after being fouled on another attempt from downtown — to score 13 of UF’s first 19 points in the contest. Not to be outdone, redshirt senior guard Alijah Martin followed Clayton’s lead by scoring 11 of 13 points as the Gators pushed their advantage to 28 after 13 minutes.

UF led by as many as 32 points in the opening period; however, it got severely complacent down the stretch, committing four turnovers and going 0 of 6 from the field as NSU erupted on a half-ending 11-0 run. Florida consequently took a 21-point lead into the break despite setting a program record in NCAA Tournament play with 53 points scored in the first half

The Gators played relatively ho-hum basketball over a 20-minute stretch spanning halftime before using a 6-0 run to take a 28-point lead with 3:19 to play ensuring there would be no chance for even an immensely unlikely comeback.

Exceptional efforts: Clayton was again the straw that stirs the Gators’ drink, but after a red-hot start with 16 points and four 3-pointers in the first half, he was relatively (for him) unimpressive down the stretch finishing with 23 points (no more triples) and four turnovers. Martin posted 17 points with sophomore forward Alex Condon contributing 12 points and 5 rebounds.

Get it together: Senior G Will Richard and sophomore F Thomas Haugh combined to start 0 of 10 from downtown with Richard not hitting a basket until there was 3:19 left in the game when he finally drilled a trey. He also committed four fouls and two turnovers in the contest while struggling on the defensive end. Haugh did finish with 13 points, though.

Odds & ends: Florida improved to 2-0 all-time against Norfolk State with its prior win coming in the second round of the 2012 NCAA Tournament … the Gators improved to 46-20 all-time in NCAA Tournament play, 17-6 in the first round … UF has advanced to the second round in nine of its last 10 such appearances … Florida is a No. 1 seed for the third time in program history holding a 11-1 record in NCAA Tournament play; it has advanced to the Final four on both prior occasions (2007, 2014) defeating No. 16 seeds by an average of 30.3 points … UF under Golden improved to 57-9 when leading at halftime (26-0 this season), 66-5 when leading with 5 minutes left (29-0), 52-10 when outrebounding an opponent (25-3), 42-15 when forcing more turnovers (22-1), 49-8 when shooting better than 45% from the field (22-2), 63-7 when outshooting an opponent from the field (27-1), 58-8 when outshooting an opponent from 3-point range (28-0), 38-16 when attempting more free throws (14-4), 32-12 when shooting 75% or better from the line (14-0), 43-15 when winning the bench scoring battle (19-1) and 48-16 when four or more players score in double figures (22-2)

Clayton made a 3-pointer in his 57th consecutive game, extending a program record … Clayton passed Corey Brewer for 34th all-time on the UF scoring list … Clayton’s 602 points this season give him the seventh-most in program history during a single campaign … Clayton with 120 made 3-pointers sits fifth on the Gators’ single-season list behind only Michael Frazier II, Lee Humphrey and Kenny Boynton

What it means: The Gators could not have put together a more impressive start through the first 16 minutes of an opening-round NCAA Tournament game, and yet, their level of play over the final 4 minutes of the first half was one of their worst short stretches of the season. Even beyond that, Florida lacked any meaningful energy or focus in the second half as it struggled shooting the ball and slacked defensively allowing Norfolk State to keep itself in the game, relatively.

UF appeared posed to blow the doors off NSU as a 28-point favorite, but it gave away a truly decisive advantage and allowed the game to be far more of a contest than it had any right being. The Spartans dominated paint scoring 48-32 and kept up with the Gators on the boards for most of the game, two areas in which UF had thrived against even its toughest opponents this season.

“We just relaxed a little bit,” Golden explained after the game. “It’s disappointing — you obviously want to be able keep your foot on the gas — but give credit to Norfolk. I thought they played really well. They’re really hard to keep in front. They did a great job of driving us and killed us in the paint. They did a great job finishing at the rim. I thought they played really well the last 20 minutes of the game. Still really happy with the win, but we gotta clean it up a little bit, though, to get ready for Sunday.”

Florida was ultimately able to survive and advance with ease given it roaring start and overall talent disparity — 20 assists on 29 baskets and 21 offensive rebounds on 31 missed shots certainly did not hurt — but it simply cannot play this brand of basketball in 48 hours against the two-time reigning national champions or a fellow SEC foe. Golden will assuredly find teachable moments from this effort while preparing for the next game, but this was simply not the way anyone pulling for the Gators wanted to see the team look coming out of the gate for March Madness.

What’s next? Florida will play (8) UConn in the second round at a yet-to-be-announced time. The Huskies are the two-time reigning champions and the team that defeated the Gators in the 2014 Final Four. UF (2006-07) and UConn (2023-24) are two of only three teams to win back-to-back national championships out of the NCAA Tournament in the modern era.