ChompTalk.com

Tre Mann and the Gators have their work cut out for them to make it to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament in Indianapolis.

After a 14-9 season capped by a second-round loss to Tennessee in the SEC Tournament, Florida drew the seventh seed in the South bracket during Selection Sunday, set for an opening matchup against Virginia Tech.

The Hokies, who finished third in the ACC, boast a 15-6 record and ended the season No. 22 in the AP Poll. They reached as high as No. 15 and appeared in the top 25 all but two weeks, including every week since Dec. 21, but faltered with an opening loss to North Carolina in the ACC Tournament.

Advanced statistics on KenPom.com cite the Gators as the better team, 37th overall to Virginia Tech’s 50th. The Hokies move leisurely, coming in 293rd in adjusted tempo, but possess incredible balance, 55th in offensive efficiency and 54th in defensive efficiency. They excel at defensive rebounding and shot blocking, ranking in the top 50 in the country in offensive rebounding percentage allowed and block percentage.

The rebounding could create fits for Florida, who struggled on the boards at times this season with only single-digit offensive rebounds in nine conference games.

The Hokies didn’t face a vigorous schedule in 2021. Virginia Tech vanquished two teams KenPom has in the top 12, defeating No. 12 Villanova in November before taking down No. 11 Virginia on Jan. 30. However, outside of those two games, it won no more Quad 1 games and only beat two other teams in the top 50, one of whom being Duke, who failed to make the tournament. So the Hokies being strong on paper may not be fully reflective.

Virginia Tech owns few weaknesses, but struggle getting to the penalty stripe, ranking 225th in free throw percentage, and fall outside the top 100 in both three-point percentage allowed and free throw percentage allowed.

If Florida fans need a name to be wary of, keep an eye on junior forward Keve Aluma. The Maryland native scored 15.6 points and hauled in 8.0 rebounds per game for the Hokies, including six double-doubles and a season-high 30 points against Pittsburgh on Feb. 3. According to KenPom, Virginia Tech used him on 27% of possessions at the offensive end.

Aluma brought in on the defensive end as well, pacing his team with 1.33 blocks per game. He swatted at least three shots in four games in 2021.

If the Gators make it past Virginia Tech, they would likely have to square off with Ohio State, the second seed in the bracket and one of the top 10 teams in the country. The Buckeyes just lost to Illinois, the No. 1 in the Midwest, in the Big Ten Championship in overtime Sunday.