SARASOTA, Fla. (WWSB) – The NCAA tournament for men’s college basketball is here. 68 teams earn the right to play for a chance to compete for the national championship, although now it is the field of 64 teams.
Florida has a fair share of representation this year. The UCF Knights, USF Bulls, Miami Hurricanes and Florida Gators are all dancing this year.
The Knights are the No. 10 seed in the Eastern Region. The Bulls are the 11th seed in that same region. The Hurricanes are the No. 7 seed in the West region. The reigning, defending national champions the Florida Gators are the No. 1 seed of the South region.
The USF Bulls are out of the tournament after losing 83-79 to Louisville in their matchup on Thursday.
The Sunshine state has one team in the women’s bracket this year and that is the Lady Dolphins from Jacksonville University. They are the No. 15 seed of Regional 2.
Florida will be active for the first two rounds of the men’s tournament by doing more than just teams that will participate in the field of 64. Tampa’s Benchmark International Arena is the host venue for eight teams for the first two rounds of the tournament this year.
The action tips off on Friday with Texas Tech taking on Akron. That will followed by Alabama vs. Hofstra out of New York. Later in the evening Clemson takes on Iowa.
The matchup sending everyone home will be the the Florida Gators taking on Prairie View A&M. The Gators are the No. 1 seed in the South region.
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