Florida (28-7), the SEC regular-season champion, is back in the Sweet 16 for the first time since their back-to-back national championship teams. In fact, UF hadn’t won an NCAA tourney game since that club. The Gators had little trouble in the opening round this year, dispatching UC Santa Barbara by 28. UCLA definitely pushed Florida in the Round of 32, with UF winning 73-65. Little Erving Walker, the shortest starter among the Sweet 16 teams, led Florida with 21 points in that one, including a key 3-pointer late. Walker scored 10 of Florida’s final 12 points.

BYU (32-4), the co-regular season Mountain West champion, was pushed by No. 14 seed Wofford in the second round before putting on one of this tournament’s most impressive performances in the Round of 16 by beating a red-hot Gonzaga team 89-67. National scoring leader Jimmer Fredette had 34 points to lead the Cougars to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1981. It was Fredette’s sixth 30-point game in the past seven.

In last year’s first round, BYU beat Florida 99-92 in double overtime behind Fredette’s 37 points, including 10 in the second overtime. UF’s Kenny Boynton, who missed practice early this week with a sprained ankle but will play, will draw the main assignment on Fredette, as he did last year. But freshmen Scottie Wilbekin and Casey Prather will rotate in on Fredette to help keep Boynton from wearing down.

Madness would not be betting on the NCAA Tournament at Bodog!