Florida was a suspect No. 2 seed in the eyes of many when the NCAA Tournament bracket came out, but the Gators sure didn’t look like it in their first game. The Gators rolled over No. 15 seed UC Santa Barbara, 79-51, making it a rout early.
March Madness Scores: Florida Easily Defeats UC Santa Barbara
The Gators jumped ahead 16-5, then had a 12-0 run when the Gauchos cut the led to 23-13. That made the score 35-13, and it pretty much spelled the end of the competitive portion of the game. UC Santa Barbara didn’t quit, but the Gators were just too strong.
Erving Walker led the Gators with 18 points, as four players scored in double figures. That list includes SEC Player of the Year Chandler Parsons, who nearly posted a triple double with 10 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds. Orlando Johnson had a game-high 21 points to lead the Gauchos.
Here is an updated look at the Southeast Region of the 2011 NCAA Tournament bracket.
No. 1 Pittsburgh def. No. 16 UNC-Asheville; 74-51, will face Butler
No. 8 Butler def. No. 9 Old Dominion, 60-58; will face winner of Pittsburgh-UNC-Asheville
No. 5 Kansas State vs. No. 12 Utah State, March 17, 9:57 p.m., truTV
No. 4 Wisconsin vs. No. 13 Belmont, March 17, 7:27 p.m., truTV
No. 6 St. John’s vs. No. 11 Gonzaga, March 17, 9:45 p.m., CBS
No. 3 BYU vs. No. 14 Wofford, March 17, 7:15 p.m., CBS
No. 7 UCLA vs. No. 10 Michigan State, March 17, 9:20 p.m., TBS
No. 2 Florida def. No. 15 UC-Santa Barbara, 79-51, will face winner of UCLA-Michigan State
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