OMAHA, Neb. – There came a time when Billy Donovan's NCAA tournament pedigree led to sound advice about how to deal with a Cinderella. The veteran Florida coach has lived many March emotions during his 16 seasons in Gainesville: Deep runs, early exits, three Final Fours and two national championships.
Throughout the journey, he has also witnessed surprises. So in the hours before seventh-seeded Florida played fifteenth-seeded Norfolk State in the Round of 32, Donovan had a simple but pointed message for his young team: The better squad will prove itself on any given night.
Earlier, on Friday, the Spartans were more efficient than second-seeded Missouri. That afternoon, in one of the most stunning results this tournament has ever produced, Norfolk State became the West Region's darling by showing more heart and hustle. Donovan watched the upset unfold, and he knew the Spartans must be respected.
In the end, that is why Norfolk State was routed 84-50 Sunday at the CenturyLink Center. The MEAC tournament champions were treated as the Gators' equal. Donovan's team blitzed the Spartans. Players from the first-time NCAA tournament team looked fatigued after playing the game of their lives Friday, because an existence as Cinderella includes pressure with the promise of another day, and the magic is hard to reproduce.
"He kept emphasizing how the better team was going to win in the Missouri-Norfolk State game," said Florida sophomore center Patric Young, who had six points. "Missouri had such an impressive résumé coming into the tournament. We were like, ‘Wow, they're a better team than Missouri. We've got to take these guys seriously. They can upset us if we come in with the same mind-set that Missouri came in with – that they're the No. 15 seed, (and) they only got in here because they won the (MEAC) tournament.' We didn't let that affect us. We came in with a focused mind-set and did not take them lightly and just ran away with the game."
Yes, the Gators ran away with ease, and history suggested the blowout was likely. The four previous No. 15 seeds to win their first NCAA tournament game never advanced to the Sweet 16. In fact, other than Coppin State's one-point loss to Texas in 1997, none of them came close: Richmond lost to Temple by 13 in 1991, Santa Clara lost to Temple by 11 in 1993 and Hampton lost to Georgetown by 19 in 2001.
Then there is the reality that Donovan excels in March. Unlike Missouri coach Frank Haith, who arrived here with one NCAA tournament victory in seven seasons at Miami, Donovan entered this event boasting one of the best postseason résumés of any active coach. His winning percentage of .735 trailed only Duke's Mike Krzyzewski (.775) and North Carolina's Roy Williams (.753).
So Norfolk State's victory over Missouri reminded us why we love this month: Upsets both tease and entertain. The emotion, the unpredictability and the sense that anything is possible – especially during play in the opening rounds – keep us coming back to catch the surprises year after year.
Yet Florida's rout of Norfolk State reminded us why most Cinderellas don't last: Talent wins out in the end. The NCAA tournament is filled with cute stories each season, but big-time skill from big-money conferences produces championships.
At some point, teams like Norfolk State fade. For most, the dream ends.
"We wanted to challenge ourselves, because we knew it was going to be like a road game," said Florida junior guard Mike Rosario, who had 12 points. "We wanted to see how we would respond to this. How would we move forward? I thought we did a great job of locking in on everything we needed to do."
By locking in, the Gators dominated. There was the 25-0 run in the first half, the 48-31 rebounding advantage and the way they swarmed Norfolk State senior center Kyle O'Quinn to limit him to four points – only Illinois State (two) held him to fewer all season.
The scenes were one-sided as well. Norfolk State coach Anthony Evans clapped his hands and yelled, "Come on!" from the sideline as the Spartans' deficit grew larger. But his players jogged the court in a daze.
All the while, Donovan continued to teach.
"You try to get better every year as a coach," Donovan said. "There is room for improvement all the time."
For Florida, that outlook is encouraging. With the rout of Norfolk State, Donovan improved to 17-2 in the NCAA tournament since 2006. He has lived this event's nuances over the years, and that is a large reason why the Gators avoided Missouri's fate and won by a combined 60 points in two games here.
In the end, Norfolk State's Cinderella run came to a close, because a better team played like it.
