Florida brushes off Dayton to advance to Final Four

The top-seeded Florida Gators ended the Cinderella run of the 11th-seeded Dayton Flyers on Saturday with a 62-52 win, their 30th in a row, punching their ticket to the Final Four.

Dayton was able to hang around for much of the first half, but Florida pulled away towards the end of the frame, closing the first half on a 19-3 run to take a 14-point lead into the break.

Florida guard Scottie Wilbekin paved the way for the Gators, leading all scorers with 23 points, chipping in three assists, three steals, and an assist. Center Patric Young added 12 points, filling out his stat line with six rebounds, four blocks, and two steals.

Dayton forward Dyshawn Pierre really stepped up for the Flyers, scoring 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting, adding five assists and three rebounds. The team's leading scorer, Jordan Sibert, was held without a point in the contest.

The Gators are South Region champions, and guard Scottie Wilbekin was named the Most Outstanding Player of the South Regional. Florida is back in the Final Four for the first time since 2007, and the fourth time under head coach Billy Donovan.

Next up for Florida is a trip to North Texas and a Final Four showdown with the winner of Sunday's East Regional final between Michigan State and Connecticut.

Prospect Watch

Chris Walker, F, Florida: Another outing with limited minutes for Walker. He picked up a foul and didn't accumulate any other stats.

Patric Young, C, Florida: A good bounce back game for Young after he struggled against UCLA. The defensive stats really tell the story on Young, who recorded four blocks and two steals.

Michael Frazier II, G, Florida: Frazier has been hot from beyond the arc of late and continued that trend, knocking down two of five shots from long range.

Scottie Wilbekin, G, Florida: Few players have helped their draft stock as much as Wilbekin has in the tournament. He knocked down three of five shots from beyond the arc and continues to build his legend as a clutch performer, knocking down a deep triple at the buzzer to close out the first half.

Casey Prather, F, Florida: Prather wasn't called on to do much in this game, though he did come up with seven rebounds, a number that wasn't beaten by any of the team's starters.

Jordan Sibert, G, Dayton: A very forgettable game for Sibert, who was held without a point in what may have been the biggest game of his career.