NCAA Tournament Update: Florida Rolling Over UC Santa Barbara At Halftime
The 2011 NCAA Tournament has its first lopsided halftime score. No. 2 seed Florida is having no issues with No. 15 seed UC Santa Barbara, taking a 43-19 halftime lead in a first-round Southeast region game.
The Gators jumped ahead 16-5, then scored 12 straight points to open up a 35-13 lead with 4:36 remaining. Many felt the Gators were a weak No. 2 seed, but they are proving otherwise in this game at least. No player is in double figures in scoring, but the team as a whole is shooting 58 percent from the field.
Read Article >NCAA Bracket Preview, Predictions: No. 2 Florida Vs. No. 15 UC Santa Barbara
A loss to Kentucky in the SEC Tournament finals didn’t stop Florida from receiving a No. 2 seed in the 2011 NCAA Tournament bracket on Selection Sunday as the committee likely took the Gators body of work, which included the SEC West regular season crown, into account. Florida draws Big West Tournament champion UC Santa Barbara, a matchup that should cause the Gators little trouble. On Thursday at 6:50 p.m., Florida and UC Santa Barbara tip it off in Tampa, live on TBS.
The Gauchos, one of the greater nicknames in college basketball, come in as a heavy underdog after stumbling through the Big West regular season schedule, finishing at 8-8. But in March, it’s all about getting hot at the right time, and UC Santa Barbara did just that, winning three games in three days, capped by a win over Long Beach State, to take home the conference’s automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.
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