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The Florida Gators will face off against the Texas Tech Red Raiders on Saturday evening with a chance to advance to the Final Four on the line. The Gators (33-4), who are the No. 1 seed in the West bracket of the NCAA Tournament, are looking to advance to their sixth Final Four. The Red Raiders (28-8), the No. 3 seed in the West, are trying to get to their second Final Four.
The West Region title game is set for 6:09 p.m. Saturday on TBS/103.7-FM from the Chase Center in San Francisco. The winner advances to the national semifinals next weekend in San Antonio.
How They Got Here
Florida, ranked No. 3 in the nation, advanced to the Elite Eight after a dominant performance against No. 4 seed Maryland that saw them outscore the Terrapins 47-33 in the second half for the 87-71 win.
No.9 ranked Texas Tech had a more stressful game against 10-seeded Arkansas that saw the teams go into overtime to decide the 85-83 win. The Red Raiders had to rally from down 16 with three minutes left to force the game to OT. Darrion Williams was the hero as he hit the game-winning shot with 7.3 seconds left.
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Texas Tech Strengths
The Red Raiders will bring a top five adjusted offensive efficiency according to KenPom into the matchup which is propelled by Big 12 Player of The Year JT Toppin. As a team they are averaging 80.9 points per game which is good for 23rd in the nation. This is 11.5 points more than the Gators allow opponents to average per game.
The scouting report on Texas Tech revolves around the aforementioned JT Toppin. He is what makes this Red Raiders offense so explosive. The New Mexico transfer averages 18.2 points per game and 9.3 rebound per game. He’s not the only high-level scorer on this team though as both Williams and guard Chance McMillian average 14.8 and 14.2 points per game respectively.
JT Toppin becomes the 10th player ever to record 20+ PTS & 5+ BLK in a Sweet 16 win. pic.twitter.com/GLNj1jXHmz
— Real Sports (@realapp_) March 28, 2025
This offensive attack will be tested though as the Gators hold a top 10 adjusted defensive efficiency.
Common Opponents
Texas Tech and Florida have played three common opponents this season in Arizona State, Texas A&M and Arkansas. Florida is 3-0 in those games vs common opponents while Texas Tech is 3-1 with their only loss being to Texas A&M.
The Gators Currently have the second-best NET ranking according to KenPom. In games where Texas Tech has faced similarly ranked opponents the Red Raiders are 1-2 with a loss to Houston who is third in NET ranking and Iowa State who is ninth in NET ranking.
Rebounding Struggles
The Red Raiders lack of rebounding is their biggest disadvantage in this game. The Gators come in top 10 in offensive rebounding percentage which allows them to get second chance points at a very high level.
The Red Raiders have the 122nd ranked defensive rebounding percentage. In terms of Offensive rebounding percentage, the Red Raiders are better but still not elite as they rank 56th.
