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The West Region's Elite 8 face-off between the Florida Gators and Texas Tech Red Raiders tips off on Saturday evening, as the respective first- and third-seeded schools battle to see who goes to the Final Four.
This March Madness battle came as a result of Florida beating the Norfolk State Spartans, UConn Huskies and Maryland Terrapins consecutively while Tech made it past the UNC-Wilmington Seahawks, Drake Bulldogs and Arkansas Razorbacks, respectively, to set up this premiere pairing on the parquet.
With the start time not in the too-distant future, USA TODAY Sports writer Erick Smith analyzed all four Elite 8 matchups set for this weekend, including the Gators vs. Red Raiders affair. Here is a quick look at how he broke things down.
"How much do the Red Raiders have in the tank after their comeback victory against Arkansas? It's a short turnaround, and they're not a particularly deep team, but there is plenty of grit and fight. Inside forces JT Toppin and Darrion Williams are Tech's top two scoring options," Smith notes.
"Florida will counter with a heavy rotation of size to slow them down. It may then fall on Christian Anderson and Elijah Hawkins to provide the outside game to keep the Gators honest. The Red Raiders will try to slow down Florida guard Walter Clayton Jr., something few teams have been able to do. Clayton will have lots of support – notably from backcourt mates Alijah Martin and Will Richard – as the Gators rank third in the nation in scoring (85.5 ppg)."
READ MORE: Expert predictions for Florida v Texas Tech in NCAA Tournament Elite 8
Florida and Texas Tech will face off on Saturday, March 29, at 6:09 p.m. ET at the Chase Center in San Francisco. Kevin Harlan will be on the call for the TBS/truTV broadcast, with Dan Bonner and Stan Van Gundy as analysts. Lauren Shahdi will serve as the sideline reporter.
Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as Bluesky, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.
This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: March Madness: Analyzing Florida vs Texas Tech NCAA Tournament Elite 8
Continue reading...
This March Madness battle came as a result of Florida beating the Norfolk State Spartans, UConn Huskies and Maryland Terrapins consecutively while Tech made it past the UNC-Wilmington Seahawks, Drake Bulldogs and Arkansas Razorbacks, respectively, to set up this premiere pairing on the parquet.
With the start time not in the too-distant future, USA TODAY Sports writer Erick Smith analyzed all four Elite 8 matchups set for this weekend, including the Gators vs. Red Raiders affair. Here is a quick look at how he broke things down.
"How much do the Red Raiders have in the tank after their comeback victory against Arkansas? It's a short turnaround, and they're not a particularly deep team, but there is plenty of grit and fight. Inside forces JT Toppin and Darrion Williams are Tech's top two scoring options," Smith notes.
"Florida will counter with a heavy rotation of size to slow them down. It may then fall on Christian Anderson and Elijah Hawkins to provide the outside game to keep the Gators honest. The Red Raiders will try to slow down Florida guard Walter Clayton Jr., something few teams have been able to do. Clayton will have lots of support – notably from backcourt mates Alijah Martin and Will Richard – as the Gators rank third in the nation in scoring (85.5 ppg)."
READ MORE: Expert predictions for Florida v Texas Tech in NCAA Tournament Elite 8
How to watch Florida-Texas Tech in Elite 8
Florida and Texas Tech will face off on Saturday, March 29, at 6:09 p.m. ET at the Chase Center in San Francisco. Kevin Harlan will be on the call for the TBS/truTV broadcast, with Dan Bonner and Stan Van Gundy as analysts. Lauren Shahdi will serve as the sideline reporter.
Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as Bluesky, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.
This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: March Madness: Analyzing Florida vs Texas Tech NCAA Tournament Elite 8
Continue reading...
