Certain aspects of the Gators game helped seperate themselves in what started off as a tight bout with Maryland

Florida and Maryland squared off in the Sweet 16 on Thursday night at Chase Center in San Francisco, and Florida advanced to the Elite Eight on Saturday with a 87-71 win.

Florida rode a lopsided margin in bench points to its Sweet 16 win over Maryland on Thursday night at the Chase Center in San Francisco. An inside look at the effort:

Will Richard led a balanced offensive attack for UF with 15 points, one of six players in double figures. Alijah Martin added 14 points and six rebounds, while Thomas Haugh had 13 points and nine rebounds and Denzel Aberdeen scored 12 points.. Overall, UF outscored Maryland 29-3 in bench points,

Florida had just a two-point lead at halftime, mostly the result of self-inflicted wounds (13 turnovers). But the Gators looked much more like the hottest team in basketball — they’ve won nine straight, including three in the SEC tournament — after the break, outscoring Maryland 47-33 in the second half.

Will Richard scored 15 points, Alijah Martin added 14 points and seven rebounds, and top-seeded Florida played a steady second half to run away from No. 4 seed Maryland and into the NCAA tournament's West Region final with an 87-71 win Thursday night.