Throughout this season, the Florida Gators showed that they are one of the top men's college basketball teams in the nation. Sure, they didn't win the SEC regular season title over the Auburn Tigers, they did win the SEC Tournament Championship after defeating Tennessee in the finals. With that, they clinched a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
After defeating the No. 16 Norfolk State Spartans in the opening round, they had a tough opponent in the second round in the UConn Huskies, who were back-to-back defending national champions. It was a true battle for the Gators, as they overcame a second-half deficit to pick up the 77-75 victory. With that a new NCAA Division I national champion will be crowned ths year.
Now, the Gators are heading back to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2017. So, who do they play next?
When does Florida play next?
Florida won't play until Thursday, March 27. Their opponent will be the No. 4 Maryland Terrapins, and will tip-off at 7:39 p.m. ET and will air on TBS/truTV.
On Sunday, Maryland found themselves down by the score of 71-70 to the No. 12 Colorado State Rams with just 3.6 seconds on the clock. Maryland inbounded the ball to freshman Derik Queen, who drove towards the basket with two defenders on him and let up a shot before the game clock hit triple zeroes. The shot bounced off the backboard and into the net to give Maryland the 72-71 victory. This is now the 15th time in program history that Maryland will be in the Sweet 16.
Florida vs. Maryland will take place at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., home of the NBA's Golden State Warriors.
Full Florida Gators 2025 March Madness schedule
Opponent (Round) | Date and Time (Result) | TV Channel |
|---|---|---|
vs. 16 Norfolk State (First Round) | Friday, March 21 (Win 95-69) | TNT |
vs. 8 UConn (Second Round) | Sunday, March 23 (Win 77-75) | CBS |
vs. 4 Maryland (Sweet 16) | Thursday, March 27, 7:39 p.m. ET | TBS/truTV |
TBD (Elite Eight) | TBD | TBD |
TBD (Final Four) | Saturday, Apr. 5 | CBS |
TBD (National Championship) | Monday, Apr. 7, 8:50 p.m. ET | CBS |
The Florida Gators had an eventful two day stretch. On Friday, March 21, they cruised to an easy 95-69 win over the No. 16 Norfolk State Spartans. Two days later, the Gators had to scratch and claw their way to a narrow win over the back-to-back nationals champions, UConn.
Now, they will have a couple of days to rest to prepare for the Sweet 16.
Who are the likeliest Sweet 16, Elite Eight and Final Four matchups for Florida?
Given that Florida are a No. 1 seed, the expectation is that they will make a deep run in the 2025 NCAA Tournament. But first, they will need to make it out of the West Region.
As mentioned above, Florida is set to play Maryland in the Sweet 16. If Florida is to advance to the Elite Eight, that means they would face either No. 3 Texas Tech or No. 10 Arkansas. While Texas Tech can be considered favorites, there is the John Calipari factor for Arkansas. Even so, it's likely the Red Raiders will emerge victorious, and loom as a threat to make it to the Elite Eight.
From there, they would face the winner of the South Region in the Final Four. While on paper, Auburn should be considered the favorites, there's no counting out the Michigan State Spartans, who are the No. 2 seed in that region.