It's March Madness time, as the Colorado Buffaloes will face the Florida Gators in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse. We're here to share our college basketball odds series, make a Colorado-Florida prediction, and pick while showing you how to watch.
Colorado defeated Boise State 60-53 in a First Four qualifier to make it to the NCAA Tournament. Now, they hope to shock the world and make a run. Some players to watch for this one include KJ Simpson, Tristan Da Silva, J'Vonne Hadley, and Eddie Lampkin Jr. Therefore, these four will attempt to lead the charge.
Florida lost 86-67 in their last battle against the Auburn Tigers. Now, they hope to fix any issues that plagued them in that game and rectify them to make a tournament run. Some players to watch include Walter Clayton Jr., Zyon Pullin, Tyrese Samuel, and Will Richard. Ultimately, they need to play well and execute on both sides of the ball to put this one away.
Colorado is making its 15th appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Significantly, they are 11-17 overall. This is still their first appearance in the tournament since 2021. They have not made it past the Round of 32 since 1969.
Florida is such a legacy team in college basketball. Overall, they have two NCAA titles, achieving that in back-to-back seasons in 2005-2006 and 2006-2007. But no team has won back-to-back titles since they pulled it off. As they go into this tournament, it is their 23rd appearance in the dance. The Gators are 48-20 overall in NCAA tournament games. Yet, it is their first appearance since 2021. The Gators have not made it past the Round of 32 since 2017.
Here are the college basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
March Madness Odds: Colorado-Florida Odds
Colorado: +1.5 (-118)
Moneyline: -108
Florida: -1.5 (-104)
Moneyline: -111
Over: 159.5 (-110)
Under: 159.5 (-110)
How to Watch March Madness
Time: 4:35 PM ET/1:35 PM PT
TV: TBS
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why Colorado Will Cover The Spread/Win
Simpson is the first one to watch as the Buffaloes attempt to stun the Gators. Yes, he scored 19 points and 11 rebounds against Boise State. But he also struggled to shoot, going 6 for 18 from the field, including 1 for 5 from the triples. On the bright side, he made all six of his free-throw attempts. Da Silva was the most consistent player. Significantly, he had 20 points while shooting 7 for 11, including 3 for 6 from the three-point line.
It was not a good day for Hadley. Unfortunately, he managed just two points and four rebounds while going 0 for 3. Lampkin was better. Ultimately, he had 13 points and six rebounds while going 6 for 8. But he also turned the ball over four times.
The Buffaloes could have done better at shooting in general. Sadly, they hit just 43.8 percent from the field, including 26.7 percent from beyond the arc. Colorado also lost the board battle. Likewise, they turned the ball over 10 times.
Colorado will cover the spread if they can shoot the ball efficiently. Then, they need to box out and hold onto the rock.
Why Florida Will Cover The Spread/Win
Clayton is the most important player on the Gators. He averaged 17 points per game during the season while shooting 43 percent. Clayton also had 13 points against Auburn. However, he went 3 for 10 and turned the ball over three times. Pullin averaged 15.7 points per game during the season while shooting 44.5 percent from the floor, including 44.4 percent from the triples. Then, he managed 15 against the Tigers but shot just 4 for 14.
Samuel averaged 13.8 points per game while shooting 57.3 percent from the floor. Likewise, he scored 12 points while shooting 5 for 11 against Auburn. Richard averaged 11.2 points per game while shooting 39.9 percent in the regular season, but he was 1 for 6 from the floor.
Florida had major issues getting the shot to the rim, as 10 of their shots were blocked. This helped them shoot just 36.4 percent and 7.7 percent from the three-point line (1 for 13). They cannot afford to have bad numbers like that again if they wish to advance. Furthermore, they also could not win the board battle at all, which might have helped them win this game.
Florida will cover the spread if they can find better angles for better shots and avoid falling behind early. Then, they need to dominate the board battle to try and win.
Final Colorado-Florida Prediction & Pick
This is one of those games with such a major potential for an upset. Ultimately, it's hard to ignore how bad Florida played in its last game. Florida never had a good defense to begin with, as it allowed at least 80 points in the three games prior to that. But usually, the offense plays well. Colorado never had a great defense to begin with. Therefore, we are counting on a bounceback game from the Gators, with their offense waking up. Florida comes to life and starts making all shots to win this game.
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Final Colorado-Florida Prediction & Pick: Florida: -1.5 (-104)
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