Florida Gators Face Texas Tech in Elite Eight Showdown

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. — The Florida Gators are set to compete for their sixth Final Four trip in school history when they face the Texas Tech Red Raiders in an Elite Eight matchup on Saturday at 6:09 p.m. ET. This game represents Florida’s first opportunity to reach the Final Four since 2014.

The Gators, a No. 1 seed with an impressive record of 33-4, enter the contest on a nine-game winning streak and having secured 15 victories in their last 16 games. They advanced to the West Region Finals on the heels of an 87-71 victory over the No. 4 seed Maryland on Thursday night.

In stark contrast, No. 3 seed Texas Tech, with a record of 28-8, reached the Elite Eight after mounting a dramatic comeback from a 16-point deficit in the second half to defeat No. 10 Arkansas 85-83 in overtime. Historically, Florida has a 5-4 record in Elite Eight games, but they lost their last encounter in this round, falling 77-70 to South Carolina on March 26, 2017.

The Gators are led by a senior backcourt trio consisting of point guard Walter Clayton Jr. (averaging 17.7 points and 4.2 assists per game), Alijah Martin (14.6 points per game), and Will Richard (13.5 points per game). Each player has scored more than 500 points throughout the season, showcasing their pivotal roles within the team.

On the other side, Texas Tech relies on the prowess of 6-foot-9 sophomore forward J.T. Toppin, who is making waves in his first year with the Red Raiders. Toppin averages 18.2 points and 9.3 rebounds per game and has been recognized as both the Big 12 Player of the Year and the Big 12 Newcomer of the Year.

The game will be held at the Chase Center, home to the Golden State Warriors, with a capacity of 18,064. The broadcast will be available on TBS/TruTV, featuring Kevin Harlan as the play-by-play announcer, Dan Bonner, and Stan Van Gundy as color analysts, with Lauren Shehadi reporting from the sidelines.

As the teams prepare for their highly anticipated battle, Florida currently holds a 6.5-point advantage over Texas Tech as of Friday afternoon, with the over/under set at 156.5 points. Listeners in Gainesville can tune in to the game on AM 850 and FM 98.1, where Sean Kelley will provide play-by-play commentary alongside former Gator star Lee Humphrey.