The Florida Gators will face the Virginia Tech Hokies to open the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday.
The NCAA selection committee surprised a lot of people when they awarded Florida with a seven seed on Sunday, but the Gators face a very good Hokies squad.
The following are our staff predictions for the Florida – Virginia Tech matchup.
Don’t be fooled by the seeding in this matchup. Remember No. 10 Florida knocked off No. 7 Nevada and the talented Martin twins two years ago in the previous NCAA Tournament. Florida enters the tournament receiving zero votes in the AP Top-25 Poll, while Virginia Tech has been ranked dating back to Dec. 21. That said, the Hokies have played just five games since the beginning of February (2-3) including a first-round exit in the ACC Tournament. Still without SEC Preseason Player of the Year Keyontae Johnson, the Gators will ride the hot hand of Gainesville native Tre Mann (26 PPG, 42.9 3-PT% in SEC Tournament). But they’ll need to limit turnovers against a Hokies team that takes tremendous care of the ball (11.6 turnovers per game). Virginia Tech forward Keve Aluma (15.6 PPG, 8 RPG) is a menace in the paint, but he may struggle against a strong Florida interior defense led by 6-foot-11 forward Colin Castleton (2.18 BPG). Should Florida hop out to a comfortable lead, its elite free-throw shooting (75.7%) will carry the Gators to their fourth consecutive round of 32 appearance.
This is a tough matchup. The Gators may have been gifted a No. 10 seed, but the matchup on paper was no favor. The Gators enter as a one point underdog according to Caesars Sportsbook. I think Florida will need to play fast and rely on their defense to come away with a win. I think Florida wins today, but I wouldn’t put a large sum of money on the line. Gators, 67-59.
Surprised was a bit of an understatement when I saw the Gators announced as a seven seed for the tournament. The Gators could cut deep into the tournament if they play to their potential, evidenced by the wins over Tennessee and West Virginia.
However, I’ve always thought March was dominated by momentum. If a team is going in the wrong direction in the weeks leading up to the first round, it’s hard to find the spark come tournament time, and the Gators have lost four of their last five. A tougher draw like Virginia Tech, who was lower than I expected after living in the AP top 25 almost all year, doesn’t help. Tre Mann will be outstanding again, but against a Virginia Tech squad that’s pretty balanced, I don’t think him putting on his cape one more time will be enough.
Virginia Tech wins, 68-62.
Whew boy. The Gators left some a little agape when they received a seven seed. Now they have a tough draw in Mike Young’s Virginia Tech team. They’re pretty hard to scout and boast a Top 55 scoring defense. The Hokies average about 72 points on offense. And the Gators live around 70 when it comes to points allowed. In fact, these two teams aren’t too different when going down the stat sheet. Keve Aluma and Wabissa Bede provide their own matchup problems and Aluma is enough to scare Gator fans. Florida has Tre Mann and Colin Castleton on its side to cause the Hokies their own issues. For now, I’ll go with the guy who’s never lost a game in the Round of 64 in Mike White. But this won’t be easy by any stretch. Don’t be surprised if Tech comes out on top and gives White his first ever loss in the first round. Florida 75, Virginia 70.
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The Gators and Hokies are scheduled for a 12:15 PM tip from Indianapolis and can be viewed live on CBS.
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