Florida has the best offense in the country but now face one of the more physical defenses in the country in the Terps. Maryland, probably, should’ve lost their last game against the Rams but will have something to prove in this one. The Gators also struggled against the 81st ranked defense in the country in UConn. Maryland has the physicality downlow to compete on the boards and one the perimeter with their guards to attempt to limit the perimeter shooting from the Gators that has been excellent the entire season.

Surviving in March Madness is one of the biggest value indicators for me moving forward in the tournament. The Maryland Terrapins won on a buzzer beater over Colorado State, and I believe play better today against Florida as a result. All the noise surrounding their Coach Kevin Willard will not be a distraction. Grab the Terrapins to hang with Florida today plus the points.

Florida is rolling and looks like a team that could win the national championship. Maryland needed a buzzer beater (that may have been a travel) to beat Colorado State. Now reports are coming out that Terps head coach Kevin Willard is set to take the job at Villanova. The added distraction won't make things any easier for Maryland on Thursday night. Florida wins big here.

Maryland dodged a bullet at the death of the Colorado State game on Sunday but not until Derik Queen got away with two (three?) extra steps on his game-winning buzzer beater vs. the Rams. Is the rumor mill impacting Maryland somewhat as Kevin Willard's name keeps being mentioned for the Villanova opening? Meanwhile, Florida overcame the yips vs. UConn on Sunday and in truth had that game a bit more controlled than the 77-75 final scoreline suggests. Maryland will have to keep pace with a jet-fueled 85.4 ppg Gator attack led by guards Walter Clayton, Alijah Martin, and Will Richard (combined 46 ppg). These teams combine for better than 167 ppg! Clearing 156 seems reasonable. Play Maryland-Florida Over (NCAA at San Francisco).

The depth mismatch is impossible to ignore here, as Maryland not only leans on its starting five more than anyone else left in the tournament but Florida has a deeper rotation of bigs that could cause problems if this game gets a tight whistle down low. The Gators can endure a couple of cheap fouls to Alex Condon or Reuben Chinyelu because Thomas Waugh and Micah Handlogten are more than capable of giving you good minutes off the bench. But if Derik Queen and Julian Reese get into foul trouble, Maryland’s rebounding efforts take a huge hit in a way that’s going to totally change the matchup.

I'm amazed at Florida each time I see them and now they're in the Sweet 16 at 32-4 with 26 covers while going 7-3 on the road. This is it, and I think the Gators are up for it the next two weeks. Championship? They remind me of UConn last year. They've won eight straight. It's like they've been playing tournament games for eight straight games. They beat Tennessee, Alabama twice, Missouri, Mississippi, and Texas A&M. Impressive run, and then they just beat UConn. They'll beat Maryland. Now they just have to cover 6.5. I bet they will.

I'm riding with the Gators here. I make this number -7.5. I like top seeds that get pushed in Round 2 to come back and take care of business in the Sweet 16 when the matchup is right. I thought Florida was a little tight early facing the two-time defending champions. Now that they got past UConn I think they relax and play loose. I like the matchup vs. a Maryland team that also wants to play fast but isn't deep. The Terps are tough to blowout. They have lost just one game by 6+ points all year. However, I think the Gators are on a different level and they pull away to cover. DK has 5.5 but 6.5 is fine too.