RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — First-team All-American Walter Clayton Jr. scored 23 points and Florida defeated Norfolk State 95-69 on Friday, ensuring all four No. 1 seeds made it out of the first round of the NCAA Tournament unscathed.
Alijah Martin added 17 points for the Southeastern Conference champions, who built a 32-point lead in the first half en route to their seventh straight win. This one set up a potential second-round showdown with two-time defending national champion UConn, should the No. 8 seed Huskies get past ninth-seeded Oklahoma.
Christian Ings scored 16 points and Jaylani Darden added 15 for 16th-seeded Norfolk State (24-11).
This one was over early as Clayton knocked down a 3 and was fouled for a four-point play, giving the Gators (31-4) a double-digit lead five minutes into the game that they would never relinquish. The lead ballooned to 53-21 with four minutes left in the first half, even as Clayton took an occasional breather on the bench.
Norfolk State showed some life by closing the first half on an 11-0 run sparked by Ings, but the Spartans never made it close.
Takeaways
Norfolk State: Spartans coach Robert Jones was upset Thursday about his team being a 28 1/2-point underdog against the Gators, asking “are we that bad?” His team ended up outscoring Florida over the final 23 minutes to cover the spread.
Florida: The Gators made 18 of their first 30 shots to end any chances of an upset, dominating the smaller and less talented Spartans.
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