Orlando is about to have a serious case of March Madness. The Amway Center will host games during the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament this weekend. The first round of action tips off on Thursday, with round two taking place on Saturday. Thursday’s matchups include three teams within state lines. Florida will face East Tennessee University in Game 2 (3:30 p.m.) while Florida State and Florida Gulf Coast will play in Game 4 (9:30 p.m.).
The Amway Center will also host two second round games on Saturday featuring the winners of the Session 1 and Session 2 games respectively.Here’s a preview of each of the games scheduled for Thursday’s opening round.
Session 1
Game 1: 5. Virginia (22-10, 11-7 ACC) vs. 12. UNC Wilmington (29-5, 15-3 CAA) (12:40 p.m.)
Virginia was the top scoring defense in college basketball during the regular season, averaging 55.6 points per game on 39.5 percent shooting. This year, the Cavaliers have will make their fourth consecutive NCAA tournament appearance and 21st in program history.
London Perrantes (12.5) and Austin Nichols (11.0) are both averaging double figures in scoring.
UNC Willmington will make its second straight appearance in the tournament after winning the CAA tournament on Monday. Last season, the Seahawks made their first appearance since 2005-06, but were eliminated in the opening round.
Game 2: 4. Florida (24-8, 14-4 SEC) vs. 13. East Tennessee State (27-7, 14-4 Southern) (3:30 p.m)
Florida will make its first NCAA Tournament appearance since former head coach Billy Donovan’s departure in 2014, with ended with the Gators losing in the national semifinals. But SEC Coach of the Year Mike White has this year’s team looking strong having lost just four games in conference play.
KeVaughn Allen leads Florida with 13.9 points per game. Canyon Barry (12.1) and Devin Robinson (10.9) are also averaging double figures for the heavily-favored Gators.
Session 2
Game 3: 6. Maryland (24-8, 12-6 Big Ten) vs. 11. Xavier (21-13, 9-9 Big East) (6:50 p.m.)
Maryland finished the 2016-17 season ranked second in the Big Ten. The Terrapins will make their third straight tournament appearance and their 27th in school history.
Marlyand has three players scoring in double figures including Melo Trimble, who leads the team with 17.0 points per game. Trimble was a First-team All-Big Ten point guard in 2017 and is projected to be a top prospect in the NBA Draft should he declare.
Xavier finished seventh in the Big East, but made an impressive run during the conference tournament before being eliminated by Creighton in the semifinals. The Musketeers, who will make their 11th tournament appearance in 12 years, have three players averaging double figures in scoring, including Trevon Bluiett, who leads the team with 18.1 points per game.
Game 4: 3. Florida State (25-8, 12-6 ACC) vs. 14. Florida Gulf Coast (26-7, 12-2 A-SUN) (9:30 p.m.)
Florida State will make its first March Madness appearance since 2012. The Seminoles ranked second in the ACC during the regular season, but were eliminated in the conference semifinals by Notre Dame last weekend.
Florida Gulf Coast, who was the Cinderella team of 2013, will make its second consecutive tournament appearance. Both teams rank among the Top-20 in offensive efficiency, so you should expect a high-scoring affair.
