No. 1 Florida Avoids No. 8 UConn's Upset Bid as Fans Hype March Madness Thriller

For much of Sunday's NCAA tournament second-round matchup, it looked like No. 8 UConn was on its way to a monumental upset win over No. 1 Florida.

However, the Gators managed to pull away down the stretch to earn a thrilling 77-75 win, ending the Huskies' 13-game NCAA tournament win streak and their bid for a third straight national championship. Florida will be playing in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2017.

Florida and UConn were tied 31-31 at halftime after a gritty first half, but the Huskies quickly went in front after coming out of the locker room. The Gators didn't take their first lead of the second half until under three minutes left in the game on a three-pointer from star guard Walter Clayton Jr. that made it 62-61. Florida then went on a 10-3 run that proved insurmountable for UConn, despite the Huskies' many efforts to complete an improbable comeback in the closing seconds.

Clayton finished with a game-high 23 points in the victory for the Gators. Alijah Martin added 18 points and Will Richard chipped in 15 points. Liam McNeeley led the Huskies with 22 points.

Fans on social media were blown away by the resilience shown by Florida in Sunday's matchup against the two-time defending national champions:

Florida is considered to be one of the favorites to win the national championship this year, and Sunday's game against UConn should give the team even more confidence that it can go all the way.

The Gators will face the winner of No. 4 Maryland vs. No. 12 Colorado State on Thursday.