The South Region of the NCAA Tournament continues later today with a matchup between the 11th seed Minnesota Golden Gophers and the third seeded Florida Gators. The game is scheduled for a 6:10 p.m. start time and it will be televised nationally on TNT. Currently the odds for the game have Florida favored by 7.5 points.
Billy Donovan and the Gators are looking to get back to the Final Four but first they'll need to beat a Minnesota team that is thinking upset alert. The Gophers dominated the UCLA Bruins from the tip in Friday's game. Ben Howland was then fired, but his team played like they already knew the outcome before they took to the floor.
This could be a great matchup of guards today as both clubs have very good guys at those positions. Andre Hollins and Austin Hollins of the Gophers will be looking to cause pressure against the Gator guys of Kenny Boynton and Mike Rosario. Both teams also have very good front lines, but when it comes to tournament time the teams that have great guards, play defense and knock down free throws can be very dangerous. The Hollins' guys combined to score 44 points against the Bruins on Friday.
Erik Murphy and Patric Young are a pair of great players on the blocks for the Gators. They rebound the ball well and are good when facing the hoop offensively. Look for both of them to have an impact on this game. Murphy had 18 points to lead Florida in the team's first game back on Friday.
Minnesota counters up front with Rodney Williams and Trevor Mbakwe. The Gophers have a lot of talent for a team that has an 11 seed and they're a very physical team, something Florida is going to have to adjust to.
Florida has no problems scoring points but Minnesota has proven to struggle at times getting points. If they go quite a bit of time without scoring points today Florida will be running all over them. Look for the Gators to push them forward with the pace while Minnesota will be looking to slow it down, keep the game physical and hit the boards.
Free Pick: Florida 73, Minnesota 62
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