SAN FRANCISCO -- Florida's three standout seniors and its deep bench kept bringing energy until it became too tough for Maryland's "Crab Five" to keep up. Coach Todd Golden could see his Gators wearing the Terrapins down. Will Richard scored 15 points, Alijah Martin added 14 points and seven rebounds, and No. 1 seed Florida played a steady second half to run away from fourth-seeded Maryland and into the NCAA tournament's West Region final with an 87-71 win Thursday night.
Walter Clayton Jr. contributed 13 points and four assists as Florida's senior leaders and their deep supporting cast took down Maryland's hardworking starters -- one of Terrapins coach Kevin Willard's concerns coming into this matchup. "We come in with great energy," said Florida reserve Denzel Aberdeen, who scored 12 points in 19 minutes. "Just everybody being ready, whoever's name is called, I think that's what we did."
Freshman sensation Derik Queen scored 27 points to lead Maryland (27-9) in what might have been Willard's final game guiding the program. "I think their bench really wore us down," Willard said. Florida (33-4) advances to play Saturday against third-seeded Texas Tech, who beat No. 10 seed Arkansas 85-82 in overtime in Thursday's late game at Chase Center.
The Gators, in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2017 and seeking the program's first Final Four berth since 2014, committed 13 of their 17 turnovers in the first half but took better care of the ball over the final 20 minutes. Florida advances to the Elite Eight for the 10th time in program history and the first since 2017, according to ESPN Research.
Florida already eliminated two-time defending NCAA champion UConn in the second round and won its ninth consecutive Sweet 16 game, the second-longest streak since the round began in 1975. "The message was simple: We have to take care of the ball," Golden, the Gators' third-year coach, said.
The Crab Five -- featuring WNBA star Angel Reese's brother Julian, who had his sister in the stands to cheer -- roared back in the first half when it seemed Florida might pull away. Queen, who hit a buzzer-beater in a 72-71 victory Sunday over Colorado State in the second round, shot 8-for-17 and made all 10 of his free throws. Clayton, Martin and Richard combined for 42 points, and three others scored in double figures for Florida.
The senior trio had scored 56 of the Gators' 77 points in the two-point victory against UConn last Sunday. That sent coach Golden back to the Bay Area, where he played for Saint Mary's and coached at the University of San Francisco before taking the Florida job. Now, the Gators get to extend their stay into the weekend.
"It's surreal, to be honest. The thing that I keep kind of going back to, selfishly, personally, I just don't want it to end," Golden said. "We have a uniquely tight group. ... It's been an amazing run." Fans booed the coach as the team departed its hotel earlier in the day. Golden had described the Terrapins as "freaky talented" coming into the game.
In other NCAA tournament action, Duke will play Alabama in the Elite Eight of the 2025 men’s NCAA Tournament on Saturday at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The top-ranked Blue Devils (34-3) beat Arizona on Thursday, advancing to the Elite Eight for the second straight season under third-year coach Jon Scheyer. The Crimson Tide earned a 113-88 win against the Cougars to advance.
Duke and Alabama haven't played each other in the NCAA Tournament, but the Blue Devils are 8-3 in the all-time series. Duke has a seven-game winning streak in the series, but the teams haven't played since 2013 in a neutral-site game at Madison Square Garden.
The game time for the Blue Devils and Crimson Tide will be 8:49 p.m. on CBS. Fans can stream the game on Fubo, Paramount+ or the NCAA March Madness Live app. Alabama became the first team to advance to the Elite Eight on Thursday with a remarkable 3-point performance, winning with a men's NCAA Tournament-record 25 made 3s on a record-51 attempts.
Florida basketball will face a team on an emotional high in its Elite Eight matchup on Saturday. The No. 1 seed Florida Gators (33-4) will face 3-seed Texas Tech (28-8) at the Chase Center, after the Red Raiders rallied from down 16 points in the second half to beat Arkansas 85-83 in overtime.
UF is 2-1 all-time against Texas Tech, but the last time the two schools met, the Red Raiders knocked off the Gators 69-66 in the Round of 32 of the NCAA Tournament on March 17, 2018. Under third-year coach Grant McCasland, Texas Tech is led by Big 12 Player of the Year and forward J.T. Toppin, who is averaging 18.1 points and 9.3 rebounds.
The Red Raiders have advanced to the Elite Eight with wins over 14-seed UNC Wilmington, 12-seed Drake and 10-seed Arkansas. The game time for Florida basketball vs Texas Tech has been announced for 6:09 p.m. ET on Saturday, March 29, 2025. Florida is a 6.5-point favorite over Texas Tech, per FanDuel, with an over/under of 155.5 points.
As the Elite Eight approaches, fans are gearing up for an exciting Saturday filled with high-stakes basketball. With Florida and Duke both looking to secure their spots in the Final Four, the stage is set for a thrilling continuation of March Madness.
