ORLANDO — With the game tied at 39 with just more than 14 minutes to play, Florida was faced with the daunting possibility of becoming the first No. 1 seed to lose to a No. 16 seed in NCAA Tournament history.
But this time, the experienced, mature seniors didn’t bail out the Gators. An 18-year-old freshman did.
Kasey Hill led Florida (33-2) to a 67-55 victory over Albany (19-15) on Thursday by scoring eight of his 10 points during the game’s final 14 minutes. The Gators finished the contest on a 28-16 run and coach Billy Donovan credits the freshman point guard with giving his team the boost it needed.
“I thought Kasey coming off the bench there in the second half gave us really great minutes, played very well (and) was a real good spark for us,” Donovan said.
Hill, who suffered from turf toe during practice this week, was questionable for Florida’s second-round matchup with Albany. But Donovan said Hill looked like he was moving well enough during shootaround, so he kept the point guard available on the bench.
However, Hill was kept off the floor for all but six minutes in the first half and the Great Danes took advantage of a struggling Scottie Wilbekin. The Gators limped into the break with just a 34-28 advantage.
In 2007, Florida also took a six-point lead into the half against No. 16 seed Jackson State. But the Gators came out of the locker room and exploded offensively to eventually win the game by 43.
When Donovan saw that his squad wasn’t showing that same scoring burst that he witnessed seven years ago, he decided it was time for a change.
Hill came into the game with 16:28 remaining in the second half with no points on 0-of-1 shooting, but Donovan needed someone to provide relief for the underperforming Wilbekin and Michael Frazier II.
Not only did the point guard score less than a minute after entering the game, but he also added a crucial steal three minutes later and then a rare block two minutes after that.
Add another two field goals and a perfect 4-of-4 performance from the free-throw line and the Gators suddenly looked like a No. 1 seed.
“I didn’t know what I would get out of him, but I thought we got some very, very good minutes from him,” Donovan said.
Although Florida shot 25 of 49 from the floor Thursday, it only sunk 3 of 12 threes — leaving a hole in the squad’s offense. Hill managed to offset the Gators’ poor three-point performance with his ability to get to the basket and draw fouls when he drove the lane.
After picking up four fouls and just two points in the Southeastern Conference Tournament Championship against Kentucky on Sunday, Hill was eager to prove his worth in his first NCAA Tournament matchup.
He said it all began with limiting his fouls while maintaining his tenacity.
“I wasn’t in foul trouble like I was last game,” Hill said. “(I was) just playing with confidence, playing aggressive and just trying to do whatever I can to help the team.”
Despite the second half surge led by Hill, Donovan said his team can’t have a similar performance Saturday when it faces Pitt in the Round of 32 or else the Gators will head home early.
“Now, it was good enough to win,” Donovan said.
“But ... is it good enough to play against a team like Pittsburgh? Probably not ... so we’ll have to play a lot better.”
Follow Jonathan Czupryn on Twitter @jczupryn
Kasey Hill drives down the court during Florida’s 67-55 win against Albany in the in the Amway Center in Orlando on Thursday. Hill scored 10 points in the second-round game of the NCAA Tournament against the Great Danes.
