March Madness: USA TODAY Sports on Florida-Norfolk State in NCAA Tournament first round

USA Today

21-03-2025

March Madness: USA TODAY Sports on Florida-Norfolk State in NCAA Tournament first round
Florida basketball opens up its 2015 NCAA Tournament bracket on Friday night with a first-round matchup with the Norfolk State Spartans inside the Lenovo Center in Raleigh, North Carolina. The No. 1 vs No. 16 seed battle looks pretty lopsided on paper, but anything can happen at the Big Dance.
Both programs enter play riding winning streaks — six for the Gators and four for the Spartans — along with SEC and MEAC Tournament titles, respectively. The two schools met once before in the Sweet 16 of the 2012 edition of the tournament, with No. 7-seeded Florida pulverizing No. 15-seeded Norfolk State, 84-50. According to the latest betting odds, the Orange and Blue are a 28.5-point favorite this time around.
With the start of play just hours away, USA TODAY Sports writer Eddie Timanus broke down all 16 Friday games, including the aforementioned affair. Here is what he had to offer.
Download your March Madness bracket here!
No. 1 Florida vs. No. 16 Norfolk State overview
"As long-time bracket heads well know, winning one's major conference tournament is not always a good predictor of success in the Big Dance.," Timmanus begins. "But the Gators' dominance en route to the SEC title is impossible to ignore. The Spartans claimed their third MEAC conference tournament title since 2021, though they had to survive a wild sequence against South Carolina State in the championship game to get here.
How to watch Florida vs Norfolk State
The Gators open play with a matchup against the No. 16-seed Norfolk State Spartans on Friday, March 21, in Raleigh, North Carolina. Tipoff time is slated for 6:50 p.m. ET and the game will broadcast nationally on TNT.
Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as Bluesky, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.