In the first Sweet 16 game of the West region, we have a great Florida vs Maryland matchup. Both teams relied on strong performances down the stretch in their respective second round games to get to the Sweet 16.
Below, we will preview this Sweet 16 college basketball game, giving the Florida vs Maryland overview, trends and our expert pick! Which school will win and keep their hopes of winning the championship trophy alive?
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Florida vs Maryland Prediction and Sweet 16 Expert Picks
2025 NCAA Tournament
No. 1 Florida Gators (32-4) vs. No. 4 Maryland Terrapins (27-8)
Date: Thursday, March 27, 2025
Time: 7:39 PM EST
Venue: Chase Center — San Francisco, CA
Coverage: TBS/TruTV
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Florida vs Maryland Sweet 16 Odds
All college basketball betting odds for Florida vs Maryland can be found at BetUS Sportsbook.
Moneyline: FLA: (-275) | MD: (+220)
Point Spread: FLA: -6.5 (-110) | MD: +6.5 (-110)
Total: 157.5 — Over: (-105) | Under: (-112)
KenPom Rankings | Bracketology
KenPom Rankings are from KenPom.com
| Team | Rk | AdjO | AdjD | AdjT |
| Florida | 3 | 128.8 (2) | 93.2 (10) | 69.7 (61) |
| Maryland | 10 | 118.9 (22) | 91.7 (6) | 69.5 (64) |
Florida vs Maryland College Basketball Trends
- Florida is 5-0 in its last five games.
- Maryland is 4-1 in its last five games.
- Florida is 18-0 in non-conference play this season.
- Maryland is 13-2 in non-conference play this season.
- Florida hasn’t made the Elite Eight since the 2017 NCAA Tournament.
- Maryland has made the Elite Eight once since they won the national championship in 2002.
Florida vs Maryland Prediction | Sweet 16 Expert Picks
The Florida Gators were pushed to the limit in their second round victory over UConn. The Gators looked to be in trouble multiple times in the second half before guard Walter Clayton Jr. went off in the last few minutes of the game. One of the most worrying takes from this game for Gators fans was how close of a game this was even with UConn shooting just 27.6% from three-point range.
Florida got a little lucky with their free throw shooting and lack of rebounding. The Gators lost the rebounding battle to UConn even with the overall height advantage. Florida also shot just 22/34 (64.6%) from the charity stripe which is a major issue moving forward. In these later stages of the NCAA Tournament, the games get closer and free throw shooting becomes a major factor in which teams move on or go home. With the Terrapins shooting 75.5% from the line as a team this season, anything less than 72-73% from Florida on Thursday could have major repercussions.
Just like Florida, the Maryland Terrapins also barely survived their second round game thanks to an incredible buzzer-beater by freshman center Derik Queen. Colorado State is an underrated team that definitely deserves credit for their play, but the fact that Maryland held their opponents to just 23% from behind the arc and still needed a buzzer-beater to win is not a great sign.
Once again, the story of their bench or lack thereof is one to keep an eye on for this game. Only three bench players hit the floor and they combined for 21 total minutes and two total points. At some point, the starting five, even as great as they are, is going to falter. When that happens, Maryland is in big trouble. The only question is whether that happens in this game, or later on in the tournament.
For our Florida vs Maryland prediction, we are picking the Florida Gators to win and move on in the NCAA Tournament
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