NCAA Tournament: Why the Winner of the Marquette-Florida Game Is a Final 4 Lock

Norfolk State somehow pulled the major upset over Missouri in the second round. Murray State cruised to a 30-1 record and a second-round win.

Then, in the third round, Florida gave Norfolk State a taste of their own medicine. In the third round, Marquette did the same to Murray State.

Now, the Golden Eagles and the Gators are set to face off in the Sweet 16. Marquette, a Big East powerhouse, dominated BYU and held off Murray State during their first two games. Florida, an SEC powerhouse, dominated Virginia and Norfolk State.

Florida may have some bad losses (Rutgers, Georgia, Tennessee), but they have good wins and tough losses against great teams. Syracuse, Ohio State and Kentucky struggled to beat the Gators, each winning by seven or less. Florida has wins over Florida State, Alabama, and Vanderbilt.

The Gators dominated Virginia and Norfolk State by running up and down the floor, getting easy baskets, making jumpers and draining threes. In both games, the Gators out-rebounded their opponent by double-digits.

Down low, Erik Murphy and Patric Young grab rebounds, and Florida's trio of guards run around in circles. Brandon Beal, Erving Walker, and Kenny Boynton can all score on layups, fastbreaks, mid-range shots, and three-pointers.

Mike Rosario can also drain his threes, and when the Gators are on, they are unstoppable. Florida went on a 25-0 run against Norfolk State, draining threes and dominating the Spartans on all cylinders. In both of Norfolk State's games, their opponent scored 84 points. However, Norfolk scored 86 in their first game and 50 in their second.

Florida figured out how to get Kyle O'Quinn in foul trouble, and once you do that to Norfolk State, you have an obvious rebounding advantage. If the Gators can do the same thing to Jae Crowder, who dominated BYU and Murray State, the Gators have a huge advantage.

However, that's easier said than done. Crowder is a great rebounder, and on paper, it looks like the Golden Eagles have a slight edge down low. Darius Johnson-Odom can drive and shoot, and he is a great guard.

Florida has three great guards, but none as good as Johnson-Odom, who frequently scores in the twenties. Johnson-Odom and Vander Blue have the ability to lock down the perimeter and contain the guards, and if they do that, Marquette has a huge advantage.

Crowder has the ability to grab rebounds over Murphy and Young, and if he avoids foul trouble, expect Marquette to have the edge down low. 

The Golden Eagles also locked down both BYU and Murray State on defense, holding the Racers to just 53 points. Murray State shot terribly, and their guards struggled. If Marquette does the same thing to Florida, the Gators will almost surely lose.

Enough breaking down the teams. Let's see why the winner is destined for the Final Four.

Draymond Green clearly is the star of the Michigan State Spartans, and Florida could get him into foul trouble and double-team him with Young and Murphy. Crowder could shut down Green, leaving the game up to Johnson-Odom to take over.

Michigan State may be the top-seeded team, but I think the Spartans would lose to Florida or Marquette. Florida's trio of guards would overpower Keith Appling and the Michigan State guards, while Johnson-Odom and Blue would contain the perimeter and easily beat the Spartans.

If Louisville beats Michigan State, which I think will happen, both teams can still beat the Cardinals. Johnson-Odom against Peyton Siva would be a great matchup, but I think Johnson-Odom is the better of the two. Jae Crowder is better than Russ Smith and Kyle Kuric isn't that much of a threat to the Golden Eagles.

Walker, Beal and Boynton would get the better of Kuric and Siva, and down low, Smith would be contained by Young and Murphy. In my opinion, Louisville is better than Michigan State, but I still see them losing in the Elite 8.

I think the Marquette-Florida game is the most important of all the Sweet 16 games. Both are great teams, and everyone watching this game will be in for a real treat.

Once a winner is determined in this game, the first ticket will be punched for the Final Four.