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Sometimes you want to make a quick pit stop, empty the bladder, grab a bag of salty snacks and limber up the limbs before hitting the open road again. For the fast-minded who enjoy simple $2 scratchers hoping to uncover the jackpot-winning image, here are quick thoughts and the lean on Florida vs. Alabama.
No. 5 Florida (25-4, 12-4) at No. 7 Alabama (23-6, 12-4)
Date: Wednesday, March 5
Time: 7 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN2
Almost every canine is aiming to be the top dog. Even that three-pound soaking wet teacup Yorkie. The little guy’s bark is so adorably “vicious.”
On Wednesday at Coleman Coliseum, a pair of rabid Rottweilers will exchange repeated growls in their quest to receive a Selection Committee belly rub. The winner will emphatically remain in the NCAA Tournament No. 1 seed conversation. The loser could be permanently banished to the No. 2 line.
The pick — Florida +3.5 (-110, FanDuel)
For Alabama to lift its leg on the competition, its usual recipe of 3-pointers and offensive rebounds must perfectly meld. Since February 1, the Crimson Tide are netting a dazzling 40.3% from deep, where 48.0% of their shots are taken. Repeatedly wrangling their misses, they’re generating an offensive rebound on 33.7% of their possessions. Rutgers transfer Cliff Omoruyi and Mouhamed Dioubate are kings of corralling second chances. Combined, they’re averaging 4.2 offensive boards per game this season.
Restrained basketball is the antithesis of Nate Oats’ brand. Still, for his team to emerge victorious, playing controlled is a necessity. Plagued by turnovers in its last eight games, ‘Bama has coughed it up on an unsightly 18.0% of its possessions. When the Tide command their freneticism, they’re virtually unstoppable.
[ Bracket Big Board: Brad Evans' latest NCAA Tournament projections ]
Florida is Final Four caliber. Todd Golden’s collection of dudes is downright dynamite.
Ranking No. 6 in BartTorvik’s BARTHAG over the last 30 days, the Gators have routinely rolled over their victims. During that stretch, they’re top-25 in adjusted offensive and adjusted defensive efficiency.
Difficult to derail inside the arc (53.8 2PT%) and equally intimidating outside of it (37.5 3PT%), Vernon Maxwell U has supreme balance. Bigs Alex Condon and Rueben Chinyelu are complemented beautifully by guards Walter Clayton Jr. and Alijah Martin. Wings Thomas Haugh and Will Richard, who has totaled 55 points in his last two games, only amplify the collective prowess.
Three of Florida’s four losses were logged away from Gainesville. However, it owns undeniably the most impressive road W of any team this season — a 90-81 toppling of No. 1 Auburn in early February. The Gators are fearless.
In what should be a scoreboard smoking contest, Florida keeps it competitive.
Earn your Pup-peroni, Gators.
Season record: 25-23, +1.42 units