NCAA Tournament First Round
Hinkle Fieldhouse
Indianapolis, Ind.
Records: Florida 15-9 (9-7 SEC), #25/24 Virginia Tech 15-7 (9-4 ACC)
Box Score (PDF)<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__floridagators.com_documents_2021_3_19_2021-5F03-5F19-5FFlorida-5Fvs-5FVirginia-5FTech-5FNCAA-5FTournament.PDF&d=DwIFAg&c=sJ6xIWYx-zLMB3EPkvcnVg&r=o5LKAX7slotfFMyE71jI7L22NYBIi1-KbRGNSXudTPo&m=MnTrcFk1wMpPKms4jdN5MF8fpgik-Tixn0p1Xog54I4&s=0RZ6f20JUa6oWDFZVEUwr0oN7z7K2K3lQaogRFigego&e= >
2020-21 Season Stats<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__floridagators.com_documents_2020_12_2_2020-5F21-5FUFstats.pdf&d=DwIFAg&c=sJ6xIWYx-zLMB3EPkvcnVg&r=o5LKAX7slotfFMyE71jI7L22NYBIi1-KbRGNSXudTPo&m=MnTrcFk1wMpPKms4jdN5MF8fpgik-Tixn0p1Xog54I4&s=BdJxioR4QGpg-AaIQvXdOodIOHtKdpk3RBaLuJerkN0&e= >
Notable & Quotable
* Florida has won its first-round game in its last eight NCAA Tournament appearances, improving to 16-5 all-time in first-round action, 4-0 under Mike White.
* The Gators have won a game in each of the past four NCAA Tournaments. Only seven other teams have the opportunity to join that group throughout Friday and Saturday – Florida State, Gonzaga, Kansas, Michigan, North Carolina, Purdue and Villanova. Duke and Kentucky were not in the 2021 field, and Michigan State lost its first game on Thursday.
* Colin Castleton recorded the 25th NCAA Tournament double-double in Florida history, with 19 points and a career-best 14 rebounds. Castleton joined an impressive list of players to record at least 19 points, 13 rebounds, three blocked shots and two assists in the NCAA Tournament over the past 25 years. The list also includes: Zion Williamson, JaJuan Johnson, Kevin Love, Nick Collison (3x), Tim Duncan and Paul Pierce.
* Florida now holds a 6-3 record in overtime games in NCAA Tournament action, 2-0 under White (2017 vs. Wisconsin).
* Florida topped a Virginia Tech team that entered the team ranked #25 in the AP poll. It marked Florida’s 18th ranked win under White, the 12th to come away from Gainesville.
* Tre Mann and Scottie Lewis had big days, as Lewis went for 15 and Mann for 14 and combined to shoot 10-for-17 from the field and 5-for-9 from 3-point range. Mann also drew two charges in the first three minutes of the game.
Colin Castleton
On his effort today…
“I knew the past couple of games I wasn’t really rebounding to my standard. Coaches talk about it and I know what I’ve gotta bring every day and if I don’t, then it doesn’t look good on myself and the team. I realized that I had to do better on the rebounding part and that just comes with aggressiveness, playing at a high motor and just wanting it more than the other team.”
On the team’s mindset against adversity…
“We weren’t losing the game. That’s just what it comes down to. You gotta have the mindset of, ‘we’re not losing this game,’ we don’t want to go back to Florida just yet. You just gotta keep pushing, keep fighting.”
