Maryland was one of the trendiest upstarts at the beginning of the NCAA Tournament.
Ranked as a No. 4 seed, the Terps were a popular pick to come out of the West Region ahead of Florida, St. John’s, and Texas Tech.
They’re halfway to accomplishing that goal, though they needed a last-second bucket from Derik Queen to get past No. 12 Colorado State in the Round of 32.
It wasn’t just Maryland that was pushed to the limit in the Round of 32. It took Florida the entire game to get rid of UConn before winning, 77-75.
The Gators are a 5.5-point favorite over the Terps for Thursday’s clash in the Round of 16.
Find out which side we’re backing and check out an exclusive bonus code from Bet365 Sportsbook below.
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These are two heavyweights doing battle on Thursday.
Florida boasts one of the best resumes in the country, won the SEC Tournament, and is ranked as the third-best team in KenPom’s power rankings.
The Gators have lost just four games all season and check into Thursday’s contest on a 14-1 heater.
Maryland is in strong form, too, but the Terps have been less consistent than the Gators by a wide margin. The Terps have plenty of impressive wins on their resume, but they’re just 9-7 against Quad 1 opposition on the season.
There’s no doubt that Maryland has a high ceiling and can beat any team in the country on their best day. They’ve proven that already this season.
That said, you’re putting a lot of faith in the Terps being at their peak if you back them against the Gators, who have hardly put a foot wrong all season.
Back Florida to punch its ticket to the Elite 8 in style on Thursday.
The Pick: Florida -6 or better
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Michael Leboff is a long-suffering Islanders fan, but a long-profiting sports bettor with 10 years of experience in the gambling industry. He loves using game theory to help punters win bracket pools, find long shots, and learn how to beat the market in mainstream and niche sports.