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Florida Gators women’s basketball will face Northern Iowa on Thursday night in the opening round of the WBIT. Both teams are coming off tough losses to close out conference play and looking for better outcomes in the invitational tournament.
The Gators lead the all-time series 1-0 after a matchup over a decade ago (Nov. 24, 2012) in Las Vegas, where Florida defeated UNI 80-63.
Looking Back
The teams have similar stories coming into the first round of the WBIT, losing in the quarterfinals of their respective conference tournaments.
The UNI Panthers (17-16) suffered a 64-46 loss to Belmont during the MVC Women’s Basketball Tournament. The Panthers were ahead at the start, going on a 8-0 run in the first four minutes of play. However, the third-seeded Bruins did not hesitate to make a statement of their own, going on to take the lead by one point (13-12) at the end of the first quarter. Although the gap was small, Belmont dominated the ball in second quarter as they scored 20 points and only let UNI score six. After the half, the Panthers were unable to recover.
The Gators (16-17) also faced unfavorable results after losing to No. 9 LSU 101-87 at the SEC Tournament. The Tigers were ahead from the start, unwilling to let Florida take the lead. The Gators outscored LSU in the second half, but this was not enough to undo the 19-point lead that the Tigers created after the first 20 minutes of play (53-34).
Thursday Night WBIT
Despite their tournament runs ending short, both teams managed to secure a spot in the 2025 Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament.
On the Panthers’ side, senior guard Maya McDermott leads her team in scoring, averaging 18.5 points per game. McDermott was also named to the 2025 All-MVC First Team.
However, the Gators have a standout guard of their own in Liv McGill. Despite only being a freshman, McGill has made impactful contributions to the team and has played a role in improving their overall performance. She averages 16.4 points per game and was named to the 2025 SEC All-Freshmen Team.
Going into the tournament, the third-seeded Gators have the home court advantage. This should give Florida the upper hand and help them come out victorious.
Game Time
Florida plays Northern Iowa at the O’Dome with tip-off set for 7 p.m. The game is available for streaming on the SEC Network and airs on ESPN 98.1-FM/850-AM WRUF at 6:40 p.m.
back in the o’dome this thursday ‼️#GoGators | @wbitwbb pic.twitter.com/TPzvqKHpEz
— Gators Women’s Basketball (@GatorsWBK) March 18, 2025
