MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The sight of Florida’s Scottie Wilbekin drilling a half-ending 3-pointer and running the length of the FedEx Forum court and all the way down the tunnel with his arms outstretched — Are you not entertained? — told the tale of the Gators’ 62-52 Elite Eight win over Dayton Saturday better than any words could.
After hearing about the 11th-seeded Flyers’ stirring mid-major upset run through the NCAA Tournament, overall favorite Florida does what it does best in March: break Cinderella’s glass slipper to bits. And after losing in three straight regional finals, the senior-laden Gators broke through to make sure it wasn’t four straight.
The only four on the Gators’ minds was the Final Four. They booked their trip to Arlington, Texas, and kept alive their mantra of Chasing Greatness and their goal of a national title. As focused as Florida (36-2) seems, as ferocious as the Gators’ defense and rebounding is, it’s looking less like hubris and more like reality.
“It felt great,’’ said Wilbekin, who had a game-high 23 points and was named the South Regional’s Most Outstanding Player. “That’s what I envisioned at the beginning of the season, taking these steps toward a national championship. It’s not going to be easy. … But it feels great to be here at this point right now.’’
Wilbekin had been suspended five games earlier in the season for violating team rules, but the SEC Player of the Year has matured, and he scored nine points in a 16-1 run that broke a 23-all tie — and Dayton’s collective backs.
Dayton (26-11) already knocked off Syracuse, Ohio State and Stanford. But the Gators have specialized in ending recent Cinderella runs, and they had the savvy of four senior starters, including Wilbekin to spark the offense and center Patric Young (12 points, six boards, four blocks) to anchor the defense.
“It feels right,” Patric said. “I hate to say we deserved it. But we earned it. I just feel like this is where we’re supposed to be.“It just felt right, like we’re supposed to be in this position, like we’re supposed to win because we earned it, we’ve invested so much, fought through adversity. It felt great.’’
Patric and Wilbekin still were wearing bits of the FexEx Forum nets they cut down, the most treasured swag they ever received, earned with sweat and work.
Nevertheless, even as they climbed the ladder to claim their spoils, they weren’t satisfied.
“Our goal wasn’t to be South Regional champions. Our goal was to be national champions,’’ Patric said. “Walking up the ladder, I was thinking how I wanted to be able to do this again. Do whatever I can help this team to reach that ultimate goal.’’
Dayton’s upset bid was alive and well as the half drew near, with Kendall Pollard’s layup knotting the score at 23-all with 4:41 left before the break. But the Gators seized control, closing the half with a 16-1 run, including Wilbekin’s final long-range dagger with just two seconds left, right in Vee Sanford’s face.
Florida’s defense forced Dayton to miss all five shots and commit two turnovers in that run, and padded the lead to 53-36 with 11:25 left. Even after Dyshawn Pierre (18 points) rallied the Flyers — scoring four straight Dayton baskets (for nine points) and assisting on the one before that — it got to 58-50 but no closer.
The Gators dominated inside, outrebounding Dayton 37-26, including seven offensive boards in a three-minute span in the second half to add the latest Cinderella to their list of victims. They also were a solid 21-of-28 from the free-throw line.
Florida has had a history of stopping Cinderella.
In 2006, the Gators faced 11th-seeded George Mason, which already had beaten Michigan State, North Carolina, Wichita State and UConn. The Gators mauled them 73-58 en route to coach Billy Donovan’s first title.
Last season, Florida met 15th-seeded Florida Gulf Coast, which had upset Georgetown and San Diego State. The Gators grounded Dunk City with a 62-50 win.
Now add Dayton to that list, the latest glass slipper smashed to bits.