Eight college basketball teams remain in contention for the 2025 NCAA championship, and Florida is No. 2 behind Duke in The Athletic's Elite Eight power rankings.
"Florida took some serious punches from both Maryland and the injury bug on Thursday night, but the Gators came out the other side looking as impressive as ever," college basketball contributor Jim Root wrote ahead of Saturday's matchup with Texas Tech.
"Head coach Todd Golden called his team’s second-half performance 'elite' in the post-game news conference, and it is hard to disagree with him. Despite an ankle injury that limited starting big man Alex Condon, Golden’s Gators outscored the Terps 47-33 in the second 20 minutes, forcing Maryland into a 'sub out the starters' surrender with over two minutes left in the game. Florida now faces a tough-as-nails Texas Tech team for a trip to the Final Four."
Even with Condon hobbled, Florida boasts one of the deepest teams in the country, and its frontcourt rotation should be able to limit All-American forward JT Toppin. Texas Tech is also dealing with injuries, namely guard Chance McMillian. The Rebels lack a pure shooter without McMillian and need an experienced player to combat Florida's backcourt trio of Walter Clayton Jr., Alijah Martin and Will Richard. McMillian has been described as day-to-day recently, but this would be the time to play through the pain.
Without McMillian, Tech risks another weak shooting performance. If it weren't for a heroic comeback in the final minutes against Arkansas on Thursday, the Rebels would be watching the Gators play the Razorbacks from home.
"A win is a win, especially on this stage," Root wrote. "Things looked ugly for Texas Tech as it trailed Arkansas for nearly the entire game, but the Red Raiders never quit, fighting through a frigid shooting night to hang around with the hot-shooting Razorbacks. Like the rest of his team, Darrion Williams struggled for most of the night, but he hit multiple huge buckets — including the game-tying triple to end regulation and the go-ahead bucket late in overtime — to lead Grant McCasland’s squad to the Elite Eight."
The power rankings favor Florida in this Elite Eight matchup, but nothing is guaranteed in March Madness. It's going to take a complete performance for the Gators to reach their first Final Four since 2014.
READ MORE: Expert predictions for Florida v Texas Tech in NCAA Tournament Elite Eight
The Athletic's Elite 8 Power Rankings
- Duke Blue Devils
- Florida Gators
- Houston Cougard
- Auburn Tigers
- Alabama Crimson Tide
- Texas Tech Raiders
- Tennessee Volunteers
- Michigan State Spartans
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