March Madness returns from a three-day hiatus with the commencement of the Sweet Sixteen on Thursday evening. It all starts with a rematch from last year’s Sweet Sixteen as #4 Florida State takes on #1 Gonzaga.
Florida St vs. Gonzaga (-7.5)
- Date: Thursday, March 28
- Time: 7:09 p.m. ET
- Location: Anaheim, CA
- TV Channel: TBS
- Live Stream: fuboTV – 7-day free trial
No. 4 Florida State
The Florida State Seminoles are in their second consecutive Sweet Sixteen, hoping to carry that stat over to the Elite Eight. They’ve followed a fantastic end to the regular season in which they won 14 of their final 16 games in the ACC, with a close shave against #13 Vermont in the first round and a blow-out of #12 Murray State in the second round.
The ‘Noles are a threat to anyone in the tournament thanks to their depth: at least nine players play quality minutes in every game, and eight players average six points or more. Guards Terance Mann and Trent Forrest set the tone on defense, while forward Mfiondu Kabengele is the team’s best offensive player and the spark off the bench that can change any game. The ‘Noles are dangerous, and you never know who their best player will be. That could be the key to another win over Gonzaga to follow last year’s 15-point victory.
No. 1 Gonzaga
Gonzaga is no longer a Cinderella and hasn’t been for some time. Coach Mark Few and the Zags are joining the Sweet Sixteen field for the fifth year running – the longest active streak in the NCAA. Despite a shocking loss to St. Mary’s in the WCC Tournament, the Gonzaga Bulldogs (30-3 record) have roundly defeated all comers in the NCAA Tournament thus far, and are among the favorites to win the national championship.
The usual criticism of their soft schedule can’t be used this year since the ‘Zags faced blue bloods such as Duke, Tennessee and North Carolina in what was a brutal non-conference calendar at the start of the season. They beat Duke and Tennessee and lost a nail-biter to UNC, so they’ve proven their worth against top competition.
In big man Brandon Clarke they have the best player in the country not named Zion Williamson; Clarke is a dominant defensive force and a smart offensive player, and his dominance in the paint combined with the great shooting of Rui Hachimura gives the ‘Zags enough firepower to beat anyone in the NCAA Tournament. The ease with which they beat Farleigh-Dickinson and Baylor was hardly a surprise, but Florida State is another beast entirely, and Few will need a great gameplan to outmatch the physical Seminoles.
Florida State and Gonzaga battle it out tonight in their Sweet Sixteen rematch from last year. We’re in upset territory with this game, FSU getting 7.5 points is a lot for such a deep team with the capability of taking you out of the game early with threes. Take FSU and the points.
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