Florida’s Tre Mann lined up a three from 25 feet, leaning away from the basket. It caught rim, caromed into the hands of Scottie Lewis; he launched a corner three, high-arcing and desperate and no good.
And that, down three, was the proximal reason that Florida lost to Oral Roberts — sending a No. 15 seed to the Sweet Sixteen for the second time ever — 81-78 on Sunday night in Indianapolis.
But it wasn’t really why.
Let the legion of Florida fans who have no love for Mike White — who fell to a rather respectable 6-4 in NCAA Tournament play with the loss — tell it, and Florida lost this one by slowing down a game it led by 11 points midway through the second half, disrupting the offensive rhythm of a team that scored 65 points through its first 30 minutes and mustered just 13 in the final 10.