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Florida basketball: Gators should not overlook Oral Roberts

By Jeremy Klump

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - MARCH 19: Head coach Mike White of the Florida Gators communicates with the team as they take on the Virginia Tech Hokies in the first half of the first round game of the 2021 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Hinkle Fieldhouse on March 19, 2021 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - MARCH 19: Head coach Mike White of the Florida Gators communicates with the team as they take on the Virginia Tech Hokies in the first half of the first round game of the 2021 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Hinkle Fieldhouse on March 19, 2021 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /
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The No. 7 seed Florida Gators survived an overtime thriller in the first round of the NCAA Tournament against No. 10 seed Virginia Tech. Florida basketball fans were on the edge of their seats as it seemed their team may have been the first victim of a March Madness upset.

Luckily for Gators fans, Tre Mann was the man and hit a step-back three-pointer to ice the game. It was an iconic shot, and Mann played his best basketball when it meant most. March Madness always has an upset that is remembered for a long time, and the Gators got some help because of this.

Florida won their first-round game and then got ready to watch No. 2 seed Ohio State and No. 15 seed Oral Roberts play. The Gators would play whoever won that game, but many felt Florida was in for the challenging game against Ohio State. Well, this is March Madness, and the madness came in this game.

Oral Roberts pulled off the sensational upset over Ohio State and advanced to the round of 32. Upsets like this are what make March Madness special. Oral Roberts was looked at as a team that was lucky to be in the tournament, but now people are asking, “Are they for real?”

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That isn’t a question Florida should be asking. Instead, they should be preparing for a really tough basketball game. Momentum in sports is a real factor, and Oral Roberts has many people pulling for them now. People love a good Cinderella story and Oral Roberts knocking off big schools like Ohio State and then Florida would keep that going.

Oral Roberts has two stars on their roster, guard Max Abmas and forward Kevin Obanor. These two dominated Ohio State, with Abmas scoring 29 points and Obanor leading the team with 30. The Gators will need to make sure these two do not get hot, or Florida could be the next victim to be upset in the tournament.

Florida did get production from forward Colin Castleton against Virginia Tech, and Castleton will need to keep that up. The Gators may be the more prominent name and higher seed heading into the matchup on Sunday, but that means nothing in March Madness.

If Florida can stay composed and not let the hype of Oral Roberts making a run in the tournament get to them, they should control the game. While Oral Roberts has their two stars, Mann is better than both of them. He needs to play better than he did in the first round, but I think he will.

Florida will move on to the Sweet 16 if they can play their game, and they are that much closer to making it to the Final Four. Teams get hot in March Madness, and the Gators could be one of those teams, but they need to make sure they do not overlook Oral Roberts first.

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