After pulling off two big upsets in a row the No. 15 Florida Gulf Coast Eagles will be in the Sweet 16 on Friday as they take on the No. 3 Florida Gators for a chance to make the Elite Eight.
The Eagles got past San Diego State in the Round of 32, winning that game by a score of 81-71 despite the fact that they were 7-point underdogs in the contest. Florida is coming off a 78-64 win over Minnesota in which they were the 8-point favorites.
The Gators are also 11-3 ATS in their past 14 tournament games, making them one of the best basketball bets in March.
Florida will face the 26-10 Eagles, who own a 6-0 ATS mark on the season. In totals betting, the Gators are 13-17 favoring the UNDER so far this season while the Eagles are 4-2 favoring the OVER.
View Florida Gulf Coast vs Florida Odds and Stats.
Florida vs Florida Gulf Coast Odds: The Gators were 13-point favorites against the upstart Eagles, the No. 15 seed, at Sportsbook. The total was sitting near 135 over at Sportsbook.
Power Rankings / Prediction:
According to new college basketball power rankings here, it's the No. 6-ranked Gators and the No. 64-rated Eagles in this matchup. Computer formulas aimed at predicting NCAAB scores point to a 85-73 win for the Gators on Friday.
How They Match Up:
Rebounding is always a key handicapping consideration and Eagles is ranked No. 89 in NCAA hoops at 36.5 per game. Contrast that with Florida’s No. 160 mark in the paint. When it comes to three-point shooting, Florida is the No. 15-ranked team in the country at 8.4 per game, while Florida Gulf Coast rates No. 110 at 6.8 per game.
Comparing how these foes stack up statistically, Florida Gulf Coast owns the country's No. 298-rated mark, allowing 75.1 points per game on the highway. Florida, on the other hand, rates No. 86 in scoring at home.
Florida Gulf Coast was an 81-71 Sportsbook in its last match on the road against San Diego State. They covered the 7.5-point spread as underdogs. Bernard Thompson scored 23 points leading the Eagles to an 81-71 victory over San Diego State at Wells Fargo Center on Sunday.
Florida won its last outing, a 78-64 result against Minnesota on March 24. They covered in that game as a 7.5-point favorite. Mike Rosario scored 25 points for Florida on Sunday, leading the Gators to a 78-64 win over Minnesota at Frank Erwin Center.
A few Eagles at Gators trends to consider:
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Florida's last 11 games
Florida is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
