My selection is on Florida minus the points over Maryland at 7:35 pm ET on Thursday.
Florida has been one of the most dominant teams in college basketball this season, entering the Sweet 16 with a stellar 32-4 record. While they’ve yet to cover a spread in this tournament, they’ve put together three separate ATS winning streaks of at least six games this season, showing their ability to bounce back in favorable spots. The Gators have also played the tougher schedule by most metrics and have consistently risen to the challenge against top-tier competition.
Maryland, meanwhile, comes off a win but non-cover against Colorado State on Sunday and has now failed to cash in two of its last three games overall. While the Terrapins have generally avoided blowout losses—no defeat has come by more than six points this season—they haven’t faced a team as talented or well-rounded as Florida.
After surviving a scare against UConn last Sunday, look for Florida to regroup and assert its dominance in this matchup.
Take Florida. Projected score: Gators 77, Terrapins 64.