Taking down the champs: Scouting report, prediction for Florida basketball vs UConn in March Madness Round of 32

RALEIGH, N.C. ― To reach the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2017, No. 1 seed Florida basketball will need to take down two-time defending national champion UConn on Sunday at the Lenovo Center (12:10 p.m., CBS)

The No. 8 seed Huskies pulled away late in a tight game to beat No. 9 seed Oklahoma 67-59 late Friday night.

UConn has won 13 straight NCAA Tournament games in three seasons under head coach Dan Hurley. It's been an up-and-down 2024-25 season for UConn (24-10) though the Huskies have played better of late, with six wins in their last seven games.

In winning back-to-back national titles in 2023 and 2024, UConn became the first time since the Florida Gators in 2006 and 2007 to repeat as national champions.

"To be able to come here and number one, to make the tournament and fight our way in, come out here and fight with some honor, and give ourselves an opportunity to play one of the best teams in the country that reminds me some of what we put on the floor. in Florida," Hurley said. "Just a lot of honor in facing the last team that went back-to-back."

The No. 1 seed Florida (31-4), winners of 12 of its last 13, advanced with a 95-69 win over No. 16 seed Norfolk State on Friday night.

"We know the quality that we're playing against," Hurley said. "Obviously we've got a chance to see Florida in some of the cross-scouts of watching Oklahoma, we were able to see them and prepare for that.

"Yeah, I think we're a dangerous team. I think we're a dangerous team because, again, most people picked us, I think, to lose the -- probably to lose the first game. I don't think many people will give us a shot in the second one."

Here are three storylines to watch for UF's matchup with UConn:

Can Florida basketball take advantage of its size and physicality to wear down the Huskies?

Hurley said Florida reminds him of some of the teams he had in his back-to-back national title runs in 2023 and 2024 with its ability to shuttle in multiple big guys and crash the boards.

"It reminds me of kind of what we had with (Adamo) Sanogo and (Donovan) Clingan and Samson Johnson these last couple years, where they just keep trotting out big, skilled, tenacious two-way players that are all over the glass," Hurley said.

Florida is coming off a game in which it outrebounded Norfolk State 41-28 and outscored the Spartans 24-12 in second chance points. Starting Florida center Rueben Chinyelu had eight rebounds, including five offensive boards, in 17 minutes while backup 7-foot-1 center Micah Handlogten had eight rebounds in 17 minutes.

UConn outrebounded Oklahoma 41-34 and outscored the Sooners 17-16 in second chance points. Center Samson Johson (6-10), forward Alex Karaban (6-8) and forward Liam McNeeley (6-7) provide respectable size up front for the Huskies.

Can Florida basketball dictate tempo and score in transition?

Florida leads the nation in fast break points and scored 16 points on the break in its NCAA Tournament win over Norfolk State.

Hurley is going to want to slow the game down but won't be able to if the Huskies don't take care of the ball effectively. UConn turned the ball over 13 times Friday night against Oklahoma,

"We're going to obviously seriously have to game plan on this one with them and be able to drag them into a half-court game and just try to slow down their attack," Hurley said. "When they get rolling, it's wave after wave."

Which bench will perform better, Florida basketball or UConn?

The Huskies were sparked by Big East sixth man of the year Terris Reed Jr. as the 6-foot-10 center had 12 points and seven rebounds in its win against the Sooners.

Florida's bench outscored Norfolk State's bench 29-23 in its NCAA Tournament opener, led by 13 points from sophomore forward Thomas Haugh and eight points from junior guard Denzel Aberdeen. UF is going to need its bench to step up and continue to provide production against the Huskies.

Prediction

Florida 79, UConn 67: UF will move on to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2017 with a balanced effort on offense and better intensity on defense. Look for senior guard Will Richard to bounce back from an off-shooting night and knock down big shots for the Gators.

Kevin Brockway is The Gainesville Sun's Florida beat writer. Contact him at kbrockway@gannett.com. Follow him on X @KevinBrockwayG1

This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Storylines to watch for Florida basketball vs UConn in NCAA Tournament Round of 32