It was not easy, but the No. 7 seed Florida Gators (15-9, 9-7 SEC) pulled off an overtime victory over the No. 10 seed Virginia Tech Hokies on Friday to advance to the second round of the 2021 NCAA Tournament. However, much to the surprise to pretty much the entire country, UF will not be facing the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes in the next round, but instead an unfamiliar foe with Cinderella aspirations.
On Sunday, the Gators take on the No. 15 seed Oral Roberts Golden Eagles (17-10,10-5 Summit) in a battle for a spot in the South Region’s Sweet 16. After ending its season on a sour note, having lost three of their final four games, Florida looks to build on its big first-round win and make a deep push in the tournament. Oral Roberts enters Sunday’s game riding a six-game winning streak with its biggest win of the year under its belt and is clearly hungry for more after the overtime upset.
The two schools have never met before on the parquet, and further, the Gators have only faced Horizon League teams twice in its history — both wins — beating the North Dakota State Bisons in 2007 and the Missouri-Kansas City Kangaroos in 2008. The Eagles, however, faced a Southeastern Conference opponent this season, dropping a road game against the Arkansas Razorbacks, 87-76, on Dec. 20.
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Overall, UF holds a 10-5 record in the second round, though they have lost two in a row. The last time Florida played in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, they lost to the No. 2 seed Michigan Wolverines in 2019 and also lost to the No. 3 seed Texas Tech Raiders the year prior. However, the recent skid snapped seven-straight wins in the round from 2006 to 2017. As a No. 7 seed, the Gators hold a 4-2 record historically.
Along with those historical facts, there are a few other interesting numbers of note heading into Wednesday evening’s game. Here is a look at three important digits courtesy of the press notes.
Everything you need to know for Florida vs Oral Roberts in the NCAA Tournament
Betting odds for Florida vs Oral Roberts NCAA Tournament Round 2, per BetMGM