Gators guard Kasey Hill being introduced at Madison Square Garden in December when the Gators faced Duke. (Photo: Tim Casey/UAA Communications)
Carter's Corner: Gators Back to NYC, title projections
Monday, March 20, 2017 | Men's Basketball, Scott Carter
The Gators face Wisconsin on Friday night in the Sweet 16 at Madison Square Garden.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- In Florida's victorious locker room late Saturday night, it was easy to distinguish the media members who cover the Gators regularly compared to those who don't.
Bad question: "Have you ever been to New York?"
Informed question: "What benefit does playing at Madison Square Garden earlier this season provide in the Sweet 16?"
Gators point guard Kasey Hill got both versions following Florida's 65-39 thumping of Virginia to advance to New York, where the No. 4-seed Gators will face No. 8-seed Wisconsin on Friday night. Florida lost to Duke at MSG on Dec. 6 in the Jimmy V Classic.
Florida's only player with NCAA Tournament experience prior to Florida's wins over East Tennessee State and Virginia, Hill isn't sure what impact playing at the Garden will have. Maybe it will help. Maybe not. But the familiarity is nice.
"We played there once," Hill said. "It's not like we play there a lot, but we did play there once, so that could help us a little."
In the December loss to Duke, KeVaughn Allen's 3-pointer with 5:21 left in the first half put Florida up 28-26. However, the Blue Devils closed the half on a 15-3 run to take control. A potential rematch with Duke loomed in the Elite Eight until Sunday night when South Carolina upset the Blue Devils.
*****
LATEST PROJECTIONS
It's easy to poke fun at FiveThirtyEight.com's analysis, or for that matter, any website or talking head who makes metric-based predictions. The last U.S. Presidential election has something to do with that.
Still, this is sports and predictions are fun. So, at least one of us here at FloridaGators.com enjoys keeping up with the latest NCAA Tournament bracket projections.
Plus, the interactive bracket on FiveThiryEight is pretty cool.
Where do the Gators rank entering the Sweet 16 in the updated projections to win the national championship?
The latest metrics: 1. Gonzaga (18 percent); 2. Kansas (15 percent); 3. Kentucky (11 percent); T4. Arizona, North Carolina (9 percent); T6. Florida, West Virginia (6 percent); 8. Wisconsin (5 percent); T9. Baylor, Purdue, UCLA (4 percent); 12. Michigan (3 percent); T13. Oregon, Butler (2 percent); T15. South Carolina, Xavier (1 percent).
*****
BONUS VIDEO
In case you missed it, instant reaction inside Florida's locker room after Saturday night's win, captured by GatorVision.tv:
Bad question: "Have you ever been to New York?"Informed question: "What benefit does playing at Madison Square Garden earlier this season provide in the Sweet 16?"
Gators point guard Kasey Hill got both versions following Florida's 65-39 thumping of Virginia to advance to New York, where the No. 4-seed Gators will face No. 8-seed Wisconsin on Friday night. Florida lost to Duke at MSG on Dec. 6 in the Jimmy V Classic.
Florida's only player with NCAA Tournament experience prior to Florida's wins over East Tennessee State and Virginia, Hill isn't sure what impact playing at the Garden will have. Maybe it will help. Maybe not. But the familiarity is nice.
"We played there once," Hill said. "It's not like we play there a lot, but we did play there once, so that could help us a little."
In the December loss to Duke, KeVaughn Allen's 3-pointer with 5:21 left in the first half put Florida up 28-26. However, the Blue Devils closed the half on a 15-3 run to take control. A potential rematch with Duke loomed in the Elite Eight until Sunday night when South Carolina upset the Blue Devils.
*****
LATEST PROJECTIONS
It's easy to poke fun at FiveThirtyEight.com's analysis, or for that matter, any website or talking head who makes metric-based predictions. The last U.S. Presidential election has something to do with that.
Still, this is sports and predictions are fun. So, at least one of us here at FloridaGators.com enjoys keeping up with the latest NCAA Tournament bracket projections.
Plus, the interactive bracket on FiveThiryEight is pretty cool.
Where do the Gators rank entering the Sweet 16 in the updated projections to win the national championship?
The latest metrics: 1. Gonzaga (18 percent); 2. Kansas (15 percent); 3. Kentucky (11 percent); T4. Arizona, North Carolina (9 percent); T6. Florida, West Virginia (6 percent); 8. Wisconsin (5 percent); T9. Baylor, Purdue, UCLA (4 percent); 12. Michigan (3 percent); T13. Oregon, Butler (2 percent); T15. South Carolina, Xavier (1 percent).
*****
BONUS VIDEO
In case you missed it, instant reaction inside Florida's locker room after Saturday night's win, captured by GatorVision.tv:
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