NCAA Tournament First Round Recap - BYU vs Florida

(7) Brigham Young 99, (10) Florida 92, (2OT)

Much of the commentary surrounding the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee focused on seeding. Brigham Young (29-5, 13-3 MWC) was widely considered to be a top-five seed, considering its second-place finish in a strong Mountain West Conference and a gaudy overall record. Florida (20-12, 9-7 SEC), on the other hand, was considered to be firmly on the bubble, with many experts predicting the Gators would miss the tournament. Their 10 seed came as something of a surprise, indicating that the Gators were in no danger of missing the tournament at all. BYU-Florida could have just as easily been staged as a 5-12 game rather than a 7-10.
 
Nevertheless, the game remained close throughout, with neither team ever leading by double digits. BYU looked to establish early on that it would not concede the paint, and aggressively sought to drive or pass the ball underneath. Rather than settling for outside shots, BYU continued to slash and dash all game, beating Florida’s perimeter defense time after time. The Cougars' outstanding guard Jimmer Fredette, who averaged almost 22 points per game during the season, continued his high-scoring ways, torching the Gators for 37 points.
 
BYU was down 28-21 at the seven-minute mark of the first half, but Michael Loyd, Jr. came off the bench to personally score all ten points on a 10-0 run over the next three minutes to give the Cougars a three-point lead. Loyd, who averaged only 4.6 points per game this season, had the game of his career, scoring 26 points by going 7 of 10 from the field, including 3 of 5 from three-point range. Loyd also made 9 of 10 from the free throw line, despite his 62 % season-long average from the stripe. Brigham Young took a 35-33 lead into the half.

The Cougars would continue to lead through much of the second half, until Kenny Boynton hit a three-pointer with only 2:37 left in regulation. This brings up the Florida perspective in this Oklahoma City showdown.

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Florida fans have been frustrated all year by the Gators’ propensity for hoisting threes, despite being a mediocre three-point shooting team. Both clubs struggled behind the arc for much of the game, but the Gators began to heat up late in the second half. Florida knocked down several crucial three-pointers during the last seven minutes to claw back into contention after being down 69-56 with just over eight minutes to go in regulation. Kenny Boynton, the Gators’ most prolific three point shooter, added four treys during the last seven minutes of regulation and shot well above his season percentage of 28.5. Boynton finished the game with 26 points to lead the Gators, including 5-of-10 makes behind the arc.

Defensively, BYU managed to frustrate Florida by consistently stepping into passing lanes to either steal the ball or force the Gators into looking for second or third options. However, the defensive play of the game was made by Boynton when BYU rebounded the ball in overtime with under 35 seconds on the clock and the game tied at 81. Boynton stole the ball at midcourt to prevent BYU from getting another shot. However, the Gators were not able to capitalize on offense, as an ugly possession following a timeout ended with a 35-foot shot/pass by Boynton that was no threat to go into the basket, regardless of the intention behind it. Boynton fouled out on BYU’s second possession of the second overtime, and the Gators would never recover, as BYU went on to dominate the second overtime period.
 
Florida lost its first NCAA tournament game in its last 13 attempts (this is the Gators’ first NCAA bid since their last national championship team in 2007). BYU, on the other hand, won its first NCAA tournament game since 1993.

WHAT’S NEXT

On Saturday, No. 7 seed Brigham Young will take on the winner of the 2-15 seed game between Kansas State and North Texas.

By: John Cary
DFN Sports Guest Writer