AUSTIN, Texas -- The Gators are headed back to Sweet 16 for the third consecutive season, a first in the program's history.
Florida
withstood a Minnesota rally in the second half to move on to the next
round with a 78-64 win Sunday night here at the Erwin Center.
The Gators next face Florida Gulf Coast University on Friday night in Arlington, Texas, for a berth in the Elite Eight.
Mike Rosario led the Gators with 25 points, hitting 6 of 9 3-pointers.
Florida led 48-27 at halftime after a dominating performance in the first 20 minutes.
Rosario
scored 17 points before halftime and forward Erik Murphy added 15 as
the Gators shot 65.2 percent (15 of 23, 7 of 14 3-point shots).
Minnesota
climbed back into the game early in the second half, opening on a 13-2
run after Andre Hollins hit a 3-pointer to trim Florida's lead to 50-40
with 15:33 left in the game.
The trimmed lead to 53-46 before Scottie Wilbekin hit a 3-pointer from the corner to extend Florida's lead back to 10.
