No. 1 seed Florida (32-2, 18-0 SEC)
Head coach: Billy Donovan (18th year)
Starters: PG Scottie Wilbekin, SG Michael Frazier II, SF Casey Prather, PF Will Yeguete, C Patric Young
Key Reserves: F Dorian Finney-Smith, PG Kasey Hill, G/F DeVon Walker, F/C Chris Walker
Record past 10 games: 10-0
KenPom.com ranking: No. 3
All the Gators have done lately is win. In fact, they haven’t lost a game in 2014.
As No. 1 seed Florida heads into its second-round NCAA Tournament matchup against No. 16 seed Albany at 4:10 p.m. today in the Amway Center, it brings along a program record 26-game winning streak. The Gators are fresh off an SEC Tournament title and a perfect record in conference play.
As one of the deepest, most defensively stout groups in college basketball, Florida does not have the talent of a Kentucky or a Kansas but has the experience and chemistry to win the South Region and earn a Final Four berth for the first time since 2007.
This group hasn’t lost since December, and that loss came on a Shabazz Napier buzzer-beater — what UF coach Billy Donovan called a “freak play.”
Florida’s senior group is 9-3 in the NCAA Tournament, losing all three times in the Elite Eight, so veterans Casey Prather, Scottie Wilbekin, Will Yeguete and Patric Young enter the Big Dance with something to prove.
During the SEC Tournament, Florida’s bench was inconsistent at times. According to the school, freshman point guard Kasey Hill has been practicing through turf toe and is a game-time decision for Albany, so Wilbekin might need to shoulder a greater load if it becomes a problem for Hill this weekend.
No. 16 seed Albany (19-14, 9-7 America East)
Head coach: Will Brown (13th year)
Starters: PG DJ Evans, SG Peter Hooley, F Gary Johnson, F Sam Rowley, C John Puk
Key Reserves: F Dallas Ennema, F Luke Devlin
Record past 10 games: 7-3
KenPom.com ranking: No. 176
Albany is fresh off a 71-64 win against Mount St. Mary’s on Tuesday night in the NCAA Tournament’s first play-in game. The Great Danes got off to a quick 21-2 run against the Mountaineers in the contest’s first 9 ½ minutes but eventually let them back into the game by the end of the first half.
The Great Danes normally play at a slow methodical pace, as KenPom.com ranks them 320th in the country in tempo. But Florida plays at a similar speed and is only three spots ahead of Albany in that category.
The Great Danes struggle with three-point defense, allowing opponents to shoot 35.1 percent from downtown — good for 219th in the country.
Most of Albany’s points are scored in the backcourt. Shooting guard Peter Hooley leads the team with 15.8 points per game, while 5-foot-9 point guard DJ Evans averages 11.5. The Great Danes’ best big man is forward Sam Rowley, who averages a team-best 6.9 boards per game.
No. 1 seeds are 116-0 all-time against No. 16 seeds, so Albany would have to beat all of the odds to win even one game — especially one against the top-ranked team.
No. 8 seed Colorado (23-11, 10-8 Pac-12)
Head coach: Tad Boyle (fourth year)
Starters: G Askia Booker, G Xavier Talton, F Xavier Johnson, F Wesley Gordon, F/C Josh Scott
Key Reserves: F Dustin Thomas, G Jaron Hopkins, G Eli Stalzer
Record past 10 games: 5-5
KenPom.com ranking: No. 63
Since star guard Spencer Dinwiddie suffered a torn ACL in mid-January, Colorado has not been the same team.
The Buffaloes began the year 14-2 — and were even ranked No. 15 in the AP poll at one point — but are 9-9 in the absence of Dinwiddie, who was Colorado’s floor general and leading scorer. Without Dinwiddie, Colorado has struggled offensively and has been prone to scoring droughts.
The Buffaloes are generally a poor three-point shooting team with a 32-percent clip, ranking 281st in the country, and the loss of Dinwiddie compounded that.
Although the Buffaloes are on a slide, losing four of their past seven games as they head into a matchup with No. 9 seed Pittsburg today at 1:40 p.m., they have seen Askia Booker emerge in Dinwiddie’s absence.
The 6-foot-6 junior guard has averaged 14.9 points per game since Dinwiddie went down. Booker struggles from three-point range, shooting just 27.6 percent, but he has been Colorado’s most reliable player in crunch time during Pac-12 play.
When he’s on the floor, Booker takes 30 percent of his team’s field-goal attempts. Basically, Colorado’s offense goes as Booker goes.
No. 9 seed Pittsburgh (25-9, 11-7 ACC)
Head coach: Jamie Dixon (10th year)
Starters: PG James Robinson, G Cameron Wright, G/F Lamar Patterson, F Michael Young, F/C Talib Zanna
Key Reserves: G Josh Newkirk, F James Artis, F Derrick Randall
Record past 10 games: 5-5
KenPom.com ranking: No. 16
The Panthers have had their ups and down this year.
During Atlantic Coast Conference play, Pittsburgh handled the bottom half of league and even notched a win against then-No. 15 UNC, but it struggled against the ACC’s elite.
Pittsburgh came close against Syracuse at home on Feb. 12, but ‘Cuse guard Tyler Ennis’ 35-foot buzzer beater sunk the Panthers hopes. In the ACC Tournament semifinals against Virginia, Pitt fell 51-48 but hung with the Cavaliers until the final seconds.
Despite falling short of breakthrough wins multiple times, Pittsburgh has proven this year that it is an efficient unit on both sides of the floor. The Panthers are 18th in the nation in adjusted offensive efficiency and 34th in defensive efficiency, per KenPom.com.
They are strong on the offensive glass, ranking 19th in the country in offensive rebounding percentage.
Senior forward Lamar Patterson has had a breakout year for the Panthers, averaging 17.6 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.3 assists in a team-high 32.6 minutes per game.
Patterson isn’t incredibly flashy, but the seasoned 6-foot-5 wing can play multiple positions and exploits defensive mismatches well.
Pitt’s second-best option offensively is 6-foot-9 senior forward Talib Zanna. The Nigeria native did not practice Wednesday due to the stomach flu but should be good to go against Colorado.
The Panthers typically disappoint in March, and Jamie Dixon’s group needs to make a run in the tournament in order to break that stigma.
Follow Landon Watnick on Twitter @LandonWatnick
