Texas Tech star Zhaire Smith’s dunk off a perfect alley-oop pass from Keenan Evans was the final blow in a slugfest Saturday night as the Florida Gators failed to land their last two shots and the Red Raiders eliminated UF 69-66 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
After Smith’s slam with 29 seconds left, Florida had 3-point shots from Egor Koulechov and Kevaughn Allen miss the mark and the Red Raiders advanced to the Sweet 16.
Florida basketball coach Mike White talked Friday about the importance of his big man Kevarrius Hayes staying out of foul trouble against Tech.