After UConn survived their matchup against Oklahoma in the first round, the defending back-to-back National Champions will have to prove their mettle against the number one team in their region, the Florida Gators.
Florida is arguably the most dangerous team in the entire tournament, and the SEC Champions were very popular picks to win it all. The Gators handled their business against Norfolk State 95-69, which is exactly what was expected out of that game.
But now, the Gators have to take on a very well-coached team, a UConn squad that is very familiar with winning in these tournaments. Will the Huskies keep up their winning ways in March? Or are the Gators just too dynamic for this team? Here is how you can watch this matchup.
How to watch UConn vs Florida
Date: Sunday, March 23
Time: 12:10 p.m. ET
Venue: Lenovo Center
How to Watch (TV): CBS
Streaming: fubo TV
UConn record: 24-10
Florida record: 31-4
UConn vs Florida odds, spread, and total
Odds provided by FanDuel Sportsbook
Moneyline
- UConn +350
- Florida -465
Spread
- UConn +9.5 (-110)
-Florida -9.5. (-110)
Total
151.5 (Over-110/Under-110
UConn injury report
NO injuries to report
Florida injury report
Sam Alexis, questionable
UConn vs Florida series history
UConn all-time record vs Florida 5-1
UConn vs Florida prediction
This may end up a low-scoring game, neither team had particularly strong shooting performances from behind the arc, with UConn shooting 24 percent against Oklahoma. The Gators shot 10-32 from three against Norfolk State, but they may need to pick that up against UConn.
Florida is a tall, physical team, and rebounding is a big strength of theirs with 42 rebounds a game, good for third in the entire nation. 6'11 Alex Condon leads the way there with 7.8 rebounds per game. This is not the Oklahoma team they saw last night, where they were able to just outrebound their way to a win. Florida will dominate the boards in this one, especially given their size.
The Huskies have been scraping along for most of the season, and now they have to face this Gators team that does most aspects of the game better than them. Unfortunately for Dan Hurley and co. the amazing run they have been on will end against this great team.
For Alex Karaban, Solo Ball and freshman Liam McNeeley, anything short of a National Championship is technically considered a failure, but there is plenty to hang their head high about if they do lose this game. This program found a way to not only stay good after the run they went on, but they won a tournament game against a good SEC team despite roster turnover and despite the season's struggles.
With a win, Florida would advance to the sweet sixteen for the first time since 2017, and what a moment it would be to take down a UConn team that made history over the past couple of years. The Gators will have to find a way to send the one team that knows how to win packing, but talent prevails quite often in the NCAA Tournament.