Marquette vs. Florida: Keys for a Gators Upset over Golden Eagles

The Florida Gators have been chomping their way through the opposition in the 2012 NCAA Tournament. Now they have a tough test in the Sweet 16 against the Marquette Golden Eagles.

According to ScoresAndOdds.com, Marquette is going into the game as a two-point favorite and therefore expected to come out victorious.

Here are a few ways UF can pull the upset off on Thursday at 10:17 p.m. EST on TBS.

Three-Point Shooting

During the regular season, Florida led the league in three-point makes per game, burying 9.9 per game on 25 attempts.

However, against the Virginia Cavaliers, they only made a paltry four three-pointers on 23 attempts.

They stepped it up against the Norfolk State Spartans and knocked down 10 of 28 from long range, but they completely outclassed that team in all aspects of the game.

It won’t be nearly as easy tonight, especially against a strong interior team like the Golden Eagles.

Florida will have to get locked in and start chucking with some success if they want to pull out a win.

Full-Court Press

The Gators have employed a full-court press for much of the 2011-12 campaign, and that defensive strategy has proved effective against Marquette in the past.

The Golden Eagles lost to Louisville and turned the ball over 25 times in the Big East tournament when facing a high-intensity press, revealing a major flaw in their game.

Expect Billy Donovan’s group to take full advantage of this and relentlessly hound the ball up and down the court for 40 minutes.

Establish the Low Post Game

Florida has a height advantage on the inside in this matchup. NBA-prospect Patric Young is 6’10” and Erik Murphy is 6’11”, and they will tower over 6’7” Jamil Wilson and 6’8” Davante Gardner, the two tallest Golden Eagle players.

Marquette’s players might be bulkier and stronger, but height often trumps strength if position is established, meaning Murphy and Young will be able to get easy buckets, get to the line and open up three-point looks.