For the first time since 2017, Florida Basketball is in the Sweet 16. The Gators will take on Maryland at 7:39 PM in San Francisco, and Florida is considered a 6.5-point favorite.
The bulk of the headlines are going to center around Walter Clayton and Derik Queen, but here are three other subplots to follow tonight.
Florida Basketball Subplots: How much of a leash will Urban Klavzar get
One of the under-the-radar moments for the Gators in their Round of 32 win over UConn was Todd Golden tightening his bench. Normally, Florida's guards are capped at 30 minutes to allow Urban Klavzar and Denzel Aberdeen to rotate in. Klavzar has been getting around 12 minutes, while Aberdeen can easily get over 20.
But on Sunday, Aberdeen got just 12 minutes, while Klavzar got in for two minutes, committed a foul on a three-point shot, and was relegated to the bench for the rest of the game.
Given the calling card for Florida, all season has been its depth, it will be interesting to see how quick of a hook Golden gives tonight.
Can Florida get into Maryland's bench?
Maryland goes by the nickname the Crab Five because they essentially don't use their bench. All five of their starters against Colorado State played at least 34 minutes, and that is the norm for the Terrapins.
Outside of Derik Queen, Julian Reese, brother of Angel Reese, is the only other Maryland player with any size to match up with Florida's bigs.
So, if the Gators can get either Queen or Reese in foul trouble early, it could turn into an easy night for Florida.
What is going on with Maryland's coach?
Kevin Willard has been at Maryland since 2022, but it doesn't seem like he will be staying much longer. He made headlines last week when he mused about the NIL situation at Maryland, and there are all sorts of rumors that he is going to leave for Villanova.
At his press conference yesterday, Willard was asked about the situation and comments the Maryland AD made regarding the situation.
Willard responded with, "I'll be honest, I think our biggest thing is we've got to stop Clayton."
If Willard has one foot out the door, can Florida help him get the second foot out too.