Throughout this entire season, there’s been one question on everyone’s mind–how do we stop Florida? Todd Golden’s team thrashed the Terrapins to breeze past the Sweet Sixteen, showing the nation why exactly they were a #1 seed! Their defense is tough and gritty, but Florida’s offense is the real show-stopper. With a packed backcourt of Will Richard and Walter Clayton Jr., and a defensive anchor in Alex Condon, they are a team to reckon with.

However, their competitors can’t be taken lightly either. If there were only one word to describe Texas Tech, it would be resilience. Grant McCasland’s team overcame a daunting sixteen-point lead to send Calipari’s Cinderella story packing! Darrion Williams and Christian Anderson shot lights out in the last five minutes of regulation, and the rest was history.

The matchup is going to be quite intense. Both coaches are coming into this game with a lot of momentum. However, analysts believe that TTU might actually put Florida in trouble! On the Field of 68: After Dark, show hosts Jeff Goodman and John Fanta discussed how the matchup might play out. “The McCasland v Golden coaching matchup is really interesting.” Fanta said. “Let’s face it with Golden, he got out-coached by Dan Hurley. And against Kevin Willard? Distraction was the name of the game in that game! McCasland’s got his group believing. But they’re gonna have to limit Florida’s offense.”

Hurley nearly ended Florida’s dream run in the second round, highlighting that the so-called ‘unbeatable’ Gators had a few weak spots. Not to mention, Maryland kept it close for most of the game, with Derik Queen’s offensive onslaught. However, the Florida backcourt has been able to keep up with all of the challenges so far. What do they do so well?

To put it simply, they crash the boards hard, and they shoot well from three. Fanta also pointed this out. “Florida’s ability to get offensive rebounds, that spells problem in this game.” And it’s true! Against Maryland, the Gators put up 42 rebounds to UMD’s 20, with 15 of them being on the offensive end.

But there’s an issue that might put a wrench in Todd Golden’s plans–Alex Condon. The six-foot-eleven big injured his ankle in the Sweet Sixteen game against the Terrapins. He returned in the second-half for a bit, but it was obvious that that there was cause for concern. Will he be playing in the Elite Eight game against Grant McCasland and his TTU Red Raiders? Let’s find out!

“We’ll see how it goes,”: Alex Condon’s status a question mark for Todd Golden and Florida

The thing with ankle injuries is that it’s hard to tell how bad it is. Alex Condon, Florida’s dominant big man, went down in the Sweet Sixteen matchup against UMD. To add further doubt in people’s minds, the Gators forward missed their team practice on Friday.

According to Condon, however, it might not be that big of a deal. “Feel pretty good, a lot of treatment over the past 12 hours or so.” He said in his latest interaction with the media. “Getting with the trainers, making sure my ankle is going to be good for the Texas game. I feel like I’ll be ready to go for tomorrow. We’ll see how it goes.” 

He clarified that the reason he didn’t attend practice was to keep a little weight off his foot in anticipation of the important matchup. There’s no doubt that the Florida big man will be trying to work his way back as soon as possible.

It’s a different thrill to be chasing a championship and to get so close. Todd Golden and Florida have been brilliant this season, all they need is one final push. We can’t wait to see how the matchup against Texas Tech pans out for them! Will they make it to the Final Four? Only time will tell.