Noah Locke is one of Florida's players to watch at NCAA tournament

Like forward Anthony Duruji, the 6-foot-3, 203-pound Noah Locke hails from Maryland, but the similarities don’t end there. Locke’s role in the regular season seemed to vary at times, too, but he undoubtedly was a critical contributor for the Gators. The Baltimore native, who set UF’s 3-point record for freshmen in his first season on campus with 81 treys, started all but one game for Florida as a junior, averaging 10.4 points while shooting 40.6 percent from 3-point range.

Locke puts up 10 in first-round win over Virginia Tech

Locke shot 4 of 8 from the field and scored 10 points in the Gators' overtime win over the Hokies on Friday. He added two rebounds.

Can Locke's second dunk come at NCAA tournament?

Though he doesn’t have hops like Duruji, Locke, who turns 22 on May 10, displayed some get-up in Florida’s win over Vanderbilt in the SEC tournament when he threw down the first dunk of his collegiate career. In that game, he accounted for 11 first-half points, making four for six from the field, including three shots from behind the arc.

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After making 79 three-pointers as a sophomore, Locke hit 54 of his 133 long-range attempts prior to the NCAA tournament. Locke also holds two other shooting records at Florida: most consecutive games with multiple made 3-pointers (15) and most games with five-plus made 3-pointers by a freshman (six).

Locke can be a guy Florida will need to find production from to assist Tre Mann. If Locke can produce double-digit points with consistency, the Gators may make a run into the NCAA tournament.