Florida takes on Colorado in first round of NCAA Tournament

Published Mar. 22, 2024 3:42 a.m. ET

Associated Press

Colorado Buffaloes (25-10, 15-8 Pac-12) vs. Florida Gators (24-11, 14-8 SEC)

Indianapolis; Friday, 4:30 p.m. EDT

FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK LINE: Gators -1.5; over/under is 158.5

BOTTOM LINE: Florida plays Colorado in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

The Gators are 14-8 against SEC opponents and 10-3 in non-conference play. Florida leads the SEC in rebounding, averaging 42.7 boards. Tyrese Samuel leads the Gators with 7.4 rebounds.

The Buffaloes are 15-8 in Pac-12 play. Colorado is fourth in the Pac-12 with 37.4 rebounds per game led by Eddie Lampkin Jr. averaging 7.0.

Florida makes 45.7% of its shots from the field this season, which is 2.3 percentage points higher than Colorado has allowed to its opponents (43.4%). Colorado averages 6.8 made 3-pointers per game this season, the same that Florida allows.

TOP PERFORMERS: Walter Clayton Jr. is averaging 17.1 points for the Gators. Will Richard is averaging 2.1 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.

KJ Simpson is shooting 47.4% and averaging 19.6 points for the Buffaloes. Tristan da Silva is averaging 1.9 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Gators: 6-4, averaging 86.1 points, 39.0 rebounds, 14.8 assists, 6.3 steals and 5.1 blocks per game while shooting 46.3% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 82.8 points per game.

Buffaloes: 9-1, averaging 76.0 points, 37.8 rebounds, 15.3 assists, 4.9 steals and 1.7 blocks per game while shooting 48.9% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 67.3 points.

___

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.