March Madness 2012: Florida Gators vs. Marquette Golden Eagles Preview

The Florida Gators won their first two games in the 2012 NCAA tournament by an incredible 60 points combined, but the road to the Final Four in New Orleans gets dramatically tougher in taking on the Marquette Golden Eagles in the Sweet 16.

Las Vegas oddsmakers have established the Gators as 1.5-point underdogs against the Golden Eagles, while the total has held steady at 145.5.

Sports bettors will find that the Gators have won five of their previous six appearances in the Sweet 16, with the only blemish coming in a 74-71 overtime loss to the Butler Bulldogs last year as four-point favorites.

Few teams left in the Big Dance possess the type of balance that Florida brings offensively, as all five starters score in double figures, with junior guard Kenny Boynton leading the way in averaging 16.1 points per game.

Florida has dropped their two previous meetings with Marquette, but both of those games came during the 1976-77 and 1977-78 seasons.

The Gators have gone 12-8 against the spread (ATS) when taking on Big East Conference opponents since the 1997 campaign.

Marquette has covered both of its games in the tournament thus far, including an impressive 62-53 win over the Murray State Racers as five-point favorites in the Round of 32.  

The Golden Eagles are 1-3 ATS on a neutral court when favored by three points or less over the past two-plus seasons, with the "under" cashing in three of those four contests.

Defending the perimeter will be key for both sides, but especially for the Golden Eagles in playing a Gators squad that led the nation with 9.8 three-point shots made per game.

I'm going to play the total in this game due to the "over" being 9-3 in the Gators' last 12 games as an underdog, while the Golden Eagles have gone above the number in eight of their last nine games as a favorite of 0.5 to 6.5 points.

Pick: Over 145.5