ORLANDO, Fla. Joe Allen Wales Jersey . -- Scottie Wilbekin sat on the bench for the final minute, holding a bag of ice against his left knee. It was about the only time he wasnt giving Pittsburgh huge problems on both ends of the court. Wilbekin scored 21 points, including 11 of the teams 13 during a 7-minute stretch in the second half, and top-seeded Florida handled the Panthers 61-45 in the NCAA tournament Saturday. The Gators 28th consecutive win put them in the Sweet 16 for the fourth consecutive year. The latest victory followed a lacklustre and head-scratching performance in the teams NCAA opener against Albany two days earlier. The Gators vowed to play with more energy and intensity, and Wilbekin spearheaded the effort. "We just wanted to come out and not let them play harder than us or not play as hard as we can," Wilbekin said. "I think we did a good job of having our energy up at the start of the game, and we played together on offence and played together on defence." Wilbekin took over in the second half, scoring eight consecutive points at one point. Patric Young wasnt too shabby, either, finishing with seven points and eight rebounds. Will Yeguete added eight points -- all in the paint. Michael Frazier II chipped in 10 points for the Gators. Frazier was just 2-of-9 shooting from 3-point range. Had Florida not been cold from behind the arc, the game would have been essentially over much sooner than it was. The Gators finished 5 of 20 from 3-point range, with at least five of those rimming in and out. Florida will face either fourth-seeded UCLA or 12th-seeded Stephen F. Austin on Thursday in the South Regional in Memphis, Tenn. The Bruins and Lumberjacks play Sunday in San Diego. The Gators have the longest current streak of Sweet 16 appearances -- and expect to go further. If Wilbekin continues to play like he did against the Panthers, Florida surely improves its chances of making another deep run in the tournament. "It was good to see him come back and respond the way he did today," coach Billy Donovan said. "I thought all the way around he played very well. ... He was great on both ends of the floor because he really gives it up on the defensive end, and when you give it up like that and youre the point guard, theres a physical toll that your body takes over a period of time." Wilbekin ended up getting iced down after banging knees with a defender. He got a well-deserved standing ovation as he limped off the court. "Hes a great point guard," Panthers forward Lamar Patterson said. "He took care of business." Wilbekin hit a running 3-pointer at the first-half buzzer and drained a back-breaking 3 with 8:24 remaining that gave Florida its largest lead at that point, 45-31. His consecutive floaters inside 5 minutes to play were equally troublesome for Pitt. The Panthers, who seemed focused on Young inside and Frazier out, had no answer for Wilbekins dribble penetration. Wilbekin also was a force on the press, which helped force 11 turnovers and got the Panthers out of rhythm. Florida played the kind of defence that had to impress NFL coaches Bill Belichick and Mike Tomlin. The Patriots and Steelers head men were on hand, with Belichick sitting behind Floridas bench in a white Gators visor and Tomlin sitting opposite Pitts bench in Panthers colours. Wilbekin really started to dominate as Pitt steadily wore down in the second half. "Got in the lane -- constantly," Pitt coach Jamie Dixon said. "Hes a senior, hes a really good player, hes been through some ups and downs, obviously, and hes had a great finish to his career, and thats what you hope happens to a kid that learns and gets better. They played well. Im sure theyre proud of him and what hes become, a local guy thats done well." Talib Zanna led the Panthers with 10 points, their only player in double figures. A lot was made of the inside matchup between Young and Zanna, two ripped centres who played well Thursday. But Wilbekin was the story in this one. His best play didnt even show up in the box score. Wilbekin saved one of the many loose balls Florida got to first, turned around and threw a strike to Casey Prather. Prather drove the lane and dropped the ball to Young for a dunk that energized the pro-Florida crowd. "I think just trying to get better in little areas, the small stuff, trying to be a better leader," said Wilbekin, who was suspended five games to start the season. "As far as how it translates on the court, I think its helped me become a better leader, be more connected with my teammates and coach. Its helped me play with a freer mind." Ashley Williams Wales Jersey . With one penalty, Fourcade finished in 24 minutes, 58.2 seconds, just nine-tenths of a second ahead of Timofey Lapshin, who shot clean in the cold. Ashley Williams Jersey . So far, so good: Gonzalez has allowed one run through 12 innings this season. His second start came Tuesday night, when he gave up only three singles over six innings to lead the Nationals to a 5-0 victory over the Miami Marlins. http://www.soccerwalesstore.com/aaron-ramsey-wales-UEFA-EURO-jersey/ . At least 90 players who had college eligibility remaining are expected to enter the draft, shattering last years record number of 73. "Its a humongous number, so the first reaction is it makes you step back a little bit," said NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah, a former scout with the Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns and Philadelphia Eagles.Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork.com) - The future of professional hockey in Arizona has always seemed bleak, but the present isnt looking so great either. A change in name from the Phoenix Coyotes to the Arizona Coyotes has done little to spark a franchise that in recent years was able to perform admirably on the ice even when the financial future of the club was far from stable. Currently, the Coyotes are sitting 28th in the overall league standings and they hold the same spot in terms of attendance. At least theyre finally consistent. With a 10-16-3 record through 29 games, Arizona needs to get on track quickly if it wants to avoid missing the playoffs for a third straight season. However, if the Coyotes fail to pick up the pace they are on track to post the franchises lowest point total in a full season since moving from Winnipeg to the desert following the 1995-96 season. None of this should be all that shocking, considering the Coyotes have been operating on a shoestring budget for years now. The club is 27th in the league in payroll and is over $47 million under the salary cap ceiling. General manager Don Maloney and head coach Dave Tippett have previously shown the ability to get the most out of a bad situation, but the formula clearly isnt working in 2014-15. The Coyotes were hardly impressive to start the season, but they seemed in decent shape back in early November while sporting a 6-6-1 record out of the gates. However, the club has gone 4-10-2 since then and has failed to pick up a single home win during that stretch, going 0-6-2 in front of sparse crowds at Gila River Arena to post the longest home skid in franchise history. On top of it all, reports out of the NHL Board of Governors meeting earlier this week in Boca Raton, Florida suggest the deal to sell the franchise to Andrew Barroway may be falling apart. Keeping the Coyotes in Arizona for the long-term seemed like a bad bet when the team was performing well on the ice and the clubs recent poor play is unlikely to push things in a positive direction. While making the playoffs for three straight seasons from 2010-12 -- Tippetts first three seasons as the Coyotes head coach -- the low-scoring club succeeded thanks to strong defense and goaltending. This season, the offense, defense and goaltending are all struggling at the same time, and it seems there is no easy fix for Arizona. The Coyotes are scoring just 2.24 goals per game this season while sporting a team goals agaainst average of 3. Joe Allen Jersey. 24 as franchise goaltender Mike Smith continues to struggle less than two seasons into a lucrative six-year contract. Obviously, that is not a recipe for success. Were frustrated and disappointed, Tippett said after a 5-1 home loss to Nashville on Thursday. There are a lot of guys in that dressing room who care and want to do better. Were not getting the results we want, so the frustration continues to build. But until we turn that frustration into mental resolve to get the job done, it will continue to pile up. Of course, the clubs financial uncertainty is not helping. As Barroways ownership bid sits in limbo while awaiting league approval, the Coyotes are in a holding pattern of sorts when it comes to making deals to improve or shore up their current roster. It does sort of, I dont want to say halt the process, but slow down the process in regards to anybody we might want to talk contractually going forward, Maloney admitted earlier this week to the Arizona Republic. Despite there dire situation, there are few NHL fans who feel sorry for the Coyotes. Commissioner Gary Bettmans quest to prove a hockey team can survive in the Phoenix area has been an unpopular one, especially in places like Quebec City who are champing at the bit for another chance to support an NHL franchise. If the Coyotes continue to add on-ice woes to their fiscal problems, it may not be long until Quebec City, or another locale better suited for an NHL franchise, will swoop in and rescue the franchise. It happened for Winnipeg when the Atlanta Thrashers proved to be a failure, and history could repeat itself in Arizona. Blaming the coach doesnt seem to be an option for the Coyotes either, as Tippett signed a five-year extension following the 2012-13 season. Its hard to argue he didnt earn that deal, as Tippett not only won the Jack Adams Award in his first season with the Coyotes, but also led the club to a Pacific Division crown and a Western Conference finals appearance in 2012. Now it appears that 2011-12 was a high water mark for Tippetts Coyotes and with the franchises money problems still a going concern it will be difficult to get back to that level. Even in Arizona there are repercussions for not performing up to expectations, a fact not lost on the Coyotes GM. If you put a losing product on the ice nobody wants to hear about your financial woes. Were in a results business, not a Kumbaya business, said Maloney. ' ' '