Gators top Canes in NIT 74-60
Nick Calathes couldn’t get Florida into the NCAA tournament. Now, he’s doing all he can to extend the season.
Calathes had 21 points, Alex Tyus added 13 points and 12 rebounds, and the Gators beat in-state rival Miami 74-60 in the second round of the NIT Friday night.
Florida (25-10) improved to 18-1 at the O’Connell Center this season, tying a school record for home wins, and advanced to the tournament quarterfinals. The top-seeded Gators will host No. 2 seed Penn State Tuesday night.
Miami (19-13) got way behind early, trailing by 22 points in the first half, and never recovered. The Hurricanes cut the lead to 11 several times in the second half, but couldn’t get any closer.
Dwayne Collins led Miami with 17 points and eight rebounds. Jack McClinton added 13 points.
Florida, much like it did in the first round against Jacksonville, got off to a strong start. The Gators made seven of their first 10 shots, including four from three-point range, and led 20-2 with 11:36 to play in the first half.
NCAA TOURNAMENT: No. 1 overall seed Louisville had a few early missteps, but uncoiled its full-court press in the second half and rolled to a 74-54 victory over Morehead State Friday night.
In other first-round encounters Friday, Dayton upset West Virginia 68-60; Oklahoma State beat Tennessee 77-75; Xavier downed Portland State 77-59; Syracuse belted Stephen F. Austin 59-44; Pittsburgh ousted East Tennessee State 72-62; Arizona State dashed Temple 66-57; Kansas bounced North Dakota State 84-74; Marquette topped Utah State 58-57; Missouri beat Cornell 78-59; Arizona scratched Utah 84-71; USC turned back Boston College 69-55; Cleveland State upended Wake Forest 84-69 and Michigan State advanced past Robert Morris 77-62.