With the Sweet 16 well in sight, the Florida Gators stumbled down the stretch to blow multiple double-digit leads against Oral Roberts and end their season with a bitter 81-78 defeat.
A jump shot by Noah Locke with 9:48 remaining gave coach Mike White’s squad a 67-56 advantage, but UF fell into one of its signature offensive funks and the Gators’ sloppy play, including 20 turnovers, caught up to them against the No. 15 seeded upstart Golden Eagles.
“Hard-fought game, really emotional season for these guys,” White said. “These guys are crushed.”
