March Madness: Analyzing Florida-Maryland matchup in 2025 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16
March Madness: Analyzing Florida-Maryland matchup in 2025 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16
The 2025 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 starts on Thursday, and included on the schedule is the matchup between the top-seeded Florida Gators and fourth-seeded Maryland Terrapins. The two West Region opponents will face off at the Chase Center in San Francisco to see who gets to advance to the Elite 8.
Florida has won seven straight games and an SEC Tournament trophy coming into play, having also beaten the 16th-seeded Norfolk State Spartans and eighth-seeded UConn Huskies in the first two rounds. Marlyland fell short in the Big Ten Tournament but beat the 13th-seeded Grand Canyon State Lopes and 12th-seeded Colorado State Rams, respectively, to earn a chance to take down the Orange and Blue.
The morning prior to the big game, USA TODAY Sports writer Eddie Timanus provided his analysis of Thursday's Sweet 16 lineup. Here is what he had to offer on the Gators-Terps matchup.
"For what it's worth, this pairing guarantees there will be a team with a reptilian mascot in the round of eight. The Gators have won 14 of their last 15, a run that includes the SEC tournament title, though they had to work harder than the other top seeds in the second round to dispatch two-time defending champ Connecticut.
"The Terrapins handled all challengers not from the state of Michigan down the stretch but will need to be at their best here to keep that streak going. Florida has a number of scoring options in its deep backcourt, but the ball will usually be in the hands of Walter Clayton Jr. when a big bucket is needed. The same is true of Maryland big man Derik Queen, owner of the tournament's first and thus far only buzzer-beater. F
"Fellow Terrapins Ja'Kobi Gillespie and Rodney Rice can get hot from the 3-point arc, but things get dicey for Maryland should any starter encounter foul trouble. The Terps have also struggled on the glass, and the Gators enjoy a rebounding margin of plus-8 per game with Alex Condon and Reuben Chinyelu leading the way."
How to watch Florida-Maryland in Sweet 16
The No. 1 Florida Gators face off against the No. 4 Maryland Terrapins in the Sweet 16 on Thursday, March 27. That game will be played in San Francisco, California, with tipoff slated for 7:39 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast on TBS.
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