NCAA Tournament 2012: Florida Outshoots Marquette
By Jamal Murphy
Heralded freshman, Bradley Beal, scored a game high 21 points on 8-10 shooting, while adding 6 rebounds and 4 assists to lead number 7 seed Florida to a mild upset over number 3 seed Marquette, 68-58, in a West regional semi-final in Phoenix.
Marquette shot a putrid 31% from the field, led by their two stars, Darius Johnson-Odom and Jae Crowder who shot a combined 10-30 from the field.
This is the second straight year that Marquette has had a disappointing Sweet 16 performance. Last season, the Golden Eagles managed only 15 first half points on their way to an 81-63 beatdown by North Carolina.
Florida moves on to face Louisville in an intriguing regional final match-up, as coach Billy Donovan will battle his college coach and mentor, Rick Pitino, for the right to play in this year’s Final Four.