NCAA Bracket 2011: No. 2 Florida Vs. No. 7 UCLA

In the 2011 NCAA Tournament Bracket, rematches abound after the Second Round, and Third Round matchup Florida vs. UCLA in the Southeast Region is a callback to highlights of NCAA Tournaments from the mid-‘00s. It’s also the last game from Tampa on the 2011 NCAA Tournament schedule; Ian Eagle and Jim Spanarkel will call the game, which tips at approximately 2:45 p.m. Eastern. David Aldrige will be the sideline reporter.

Florida answered any concerns about its No. 2 seed with a 79-51 demolition of UC Santa Barbara in its Second Round game. The Gators got contributions from virtually every corner against the Gauchos: all five starters scored at least eight points, and walk-on Kyle McClanahan played in garbage time late in the second half, scoring four points. Chandler Parsons had a career-high 10 assists to go with 10 points and seven rebounds, and likely would have recorded his first career triple-double if he had not be subbed out early in the second half. So the Gators enter their Third Round matchup clicking, and also have some good memories of NCAA Tournament games against UCLA: in the 2005-06 and 2006-07 seasons, Florida defeated UCLA in the NCAA Tournament final and the Final Four, respectively, on its way to two consecutive national championships. If Parsons, Alex Tyus, and Vernon Macklin can handle the Bruins’ Joshua Smith down low, expect Billy Donovan’s squad to reach the Sweet Sixteen.

Ben Howland’s Bruins, on the other hand, nearly let a historic collapse happen against Michigan State. After leading by 26 with 8:36 to go, the Bruins went ice-cold down the stretch, hemorrhaging possessions and allowing the Spartans to turn a rout into a near-miracle. That nearly ruined a game effort from UCLA’s starters, four of whom chipped in 12 or more points. Tyler Honeycutt, especially, was excellent, scoring 16 points and recording six rebounds, five assists, three steals, and two blocks. And the Bruins nearly gave the game away at the free throw line: UCLA shot just 63.8% from the charity stripe, missing 17 freebies. It’s unlikely the Bruins will get to the line 47 times against Florida, much less build a 26-point lead, but if they can clean up issues that contributed to their scare against the Spartans, UCLA has a shot at pulling the upset.

Star Watch: Joshua Smith is UCLA’s biggest mismatch against Florida. The 6’10”, 300-pound freshman has a huge size advantage on Tyus and Macklin, the Gators’ two starting forwards, and could abuse them repeatedly if Florida cannot or does not double him effectively.

Prediction: Florida builds on the momentum generated by its Second Round snoozer and races out early against UCLA, then weathers a second half comeback by the Bruins for a 77-70 win.

More Reading: SB Nation’s Florida blog Alligator Army is your Gators fan community, while our UCLA blog, Bruins Nation, has plenty more on the bears in powder blue.

Need help picking your bracket? Check out SB Nation’s full 2011 NCAA Tournament bracket predictions, picking every game of March Madness, or our region by region breakdowns for the East Region, West Region, Southeast Region, and Southwest Region.

Did your team miss the 2011 NCAA Tournament? We have you covered: check out the 2011 NIT bracket.