Gators Heading To Elite 8 After Chris Chiozza’s Buzzer Beater Downs Wisconsin In Sweet 16

Gators FACE FAMILIAR FOE IN ELITE 8, SEC RIVAL, South Carolina

ABOVE VIDEO: Florida vs. Wisconsin: Chris Chiozza hits buzzer-beater three!

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK– They don’t call it “At the Buzzer” for a nothing.

Florida Gators  junior guard Chris Chiozza went the length of the floor with four seconds left and let fly a 3-pointer that swished at the horn of the first overtime early Saturday morning to send the fourth-seeded Gators past the eighth-seeded Badgers in the NCAA East Region and into the Elite Eight.

Chiozza’s shot came after Wisconsin forward Nigel Hayes hit a pair of free throws with four seconds left to put the Badgers up by two, 83-81

Florida had no timeouts and Canyon Barry, who just made an incredible block of a potential basket that could have iced the game for Wisconsin, inbound the ball to Chiozza.

Chiozza zipped up the court and leapt toward the basket from beyond the three point arc at the top of the circle and into Florida basketball and NCAA history.

Minutes earlier, it was Chiozza who was victimized by a prayer when Wisconsin guard Zak Showalter hit a desperation 3 with 2.5 seconds left to tie the game at 72 and complete a Wisconsin comeback from eight points down with 1:44 to go.

Showalter’s shot sent the game into overtime, Chiozza returned the favor and sent the Badgers home.

Sophomore guard KeVaughn Allen, after a maddening slow start, set a UF record for points in an NCAA Tournament game, pouring in a career-high 35 to and was the only Gator to finish in double figures, compared to all five Wisconsin starters who reached double digits, led by 22 points from Nigel Hayes.

Chiozza had eight points, five rebounds and four assists.

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ABOVE VIDEO: Extended highlights of Wisconsin vs. Florida, which turned out to be an instant classic with both teams hitting clutch shots down the stretch.

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