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NCAA Tournament 2012, Florida Vs. Marquette: Gators Advance To The Elite 8

The Florida Gators advanced to the Elite 8 on Thursday night with a 68-58 win over Marquette in Phoenix. They will face Louisville, who defeated No. 1 seed Michigan State, in the West Region finals on Saturday. The Gators led by as many as 13 points with less than five minutes to play, but a 7-0 Marquette run made the Florida lead as little as five in the final two minutes. But a huge three-pointer by Erving Walker, and a crucial rebound and put-back by Patric Young, ensured the Gators win and quickly stopped the threat from Marquette.

Freshman phenom Bradley Beal had another fantastic game, leading the Gators with 21 points. Beal is on fire lately and he hit eight of ten shots from the floor against the Golden Eagles, including three of five from behind the arc. Beal also grabbed six boards and dished four assists. Highlights of his impressive performance below:

Billy Donovan will now go up against his former coach and mentor, Rick Pitino, for the right to go to the Final Four.

For more on the 2012 NCAA Tournament bracket, stay with SB Nation's Selection Sunday StoryStream, and stick around SB Nation's NCAA Tournament hub for a complete printable NCAA Tournament bracket and tons of analysis on who was snubbed, who got the best bracket, and who will make it all the way to New Orleans and the Final Four.

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Photographs by cstreet.us, thelastminute, turtlemom nancy , fesek, kthypryn, justinwright, sue_elias, pointnshoot, and scrapstothefuture used in background montage under Creative Commons. Thank you.