#9 PITT 45 #1 FLORIDA 61...the SEC Champs run right through the PANTHERS as WILBEKIN leads "BILLY Ball' to the Sweet 16...CAMPUS HARDWOOD from Mouse Town with Gator Nation everywhere #GATORnation #UF #BillyBall #WilbekinGang #GATORchop

The Florida Gators most were saying would get a scare with some even saying those will be their last tilt as the run will be over facing the Panthers. What most analysts forgot was that the Pitt Panthers and even the Florida Gators at times are offensively challenged. Today it was Pitt's turn to put a Lid on the rim as the Gators made it look rather easy.

Behind a home crowd in Orlando, Florida the Gators made not quick work of the Pitt Panthers but a slow methodical approach by the Gators as though there was Panther in the Gator Stew simmering in the Gator Nation Croc Pot on International Drive. It was SEC Player of the Year and Gainesville, Florida Native Scott Wilbekin who did the damage scoring a game-high 21 points as most of that damage came in the 2nd half. It was a "All Gators on Deck" Approach as they took apart the Inside of the Panthers "D". Gators PF/C Patric Young added 7 points, eight boars, and four blocks.

Pitt went through minutes upon minutes where they didn't get a clean look or basket. Midway through the 2nd half they had only four points as they struggled to find anything. Pitt Leading Scorer Lamar Patterson (17.4 ppg) picked the wrong night to run and hid as he had 8 points on just 3 of 11 from the field and 1 of 7 from the Arc. Panthers PF Talib Zanna led Pitt with 10 points as the only Panther in double figures and that spelled trouble vs an experienced Gator Bunch.  

Gators now enter the Sweet 16 in Memphis, Tennessee playing the winner of the Stephen F. Austin/UCLA Winner in the South Region.