A winner in the First Four, the 10-seed Colorado Buffaloes, will face the 7-seed Florida Gators in the South Region of the 2024 NCAA Tournament in Indianapolis, Indiana, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. The game will tip off at 4:30 PM ET and air on TBS.

The Colorado Buffaloes received an at-large bid for the 2024 NCAA Tournament after finishing the regular season in 3^rd place in the Pac-12 Conference with a conference record of 13-7 and an overall record of 24-10. 

Colorado made it to the Pac-12 Conference Tournament Championship game as well after beating the Utah Utes in the Quarterfinals by a score of 72-58 and the Washington State Cougars in the Semifinals by a score of 58-52 before losing to the Oregon Ducks in the Championship by a score of 68-75, however, despite their accomplishments this season, the Buffaloes still had to play for a right to be in the 1^st round of the NCAA Tournament which they did by defeating the Boise State Broncos in the First Four on Wednesday by a score of 60-53. This will be the 16^th time Colorado has played in the NCAA Tournament and their first since the 2021 NCAA Tournament, in which they lost in the 2^nd round against the Florida State Seminoles by a score of 53-71. Colorado has been one of the highest-scoring teams in college basketball this season. They enter this game ranked 51^st nationally in scoring, with an average of 79.29 points per game. 

The Colorado Buffaloes will look to build on their momentum from the win in the First Four when they play the 7-seed Florida Gators in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

The Florida Gators were one of the best rebounding teams in college basketball this season. They entered this game ranked 2^nd nationally in offensive rebounds and 22^nd in defensive rebounds, with an average of 14.74 offensive rebounds and 27.91 defensive rebounds per game. This made them the sixth-highest-scoring team in college basketball this season, with an average of 85.14 points per game. 

However, the Gators suffered a significant loss in the SEC Tournament Championship game against the Auburn Tigers when one of the best players, Micah Handlogten, sustained a fractured leg. Handlogten was 2^nd on the team in rebounds and led the team in offensive rebounds with an average of 6.9 rebounds and 3.3 offensive rebounds per game, and his loss was felt in the game against Auburn. 

The Gators will have to try to replace his rebounding output in the NCAA Tournament as they enter their 1^st NCAA Tournament since the 2021 NCAA Tournament on Friday afternoon against the Colorado Buffaloes.

JustBet has the Florida Gators listed as 1-point favorites against the Colorado Buffaloes in Friday afternoon's 1^st round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament. Colorado enters this game with a 17-17 ATS record, while Florida is 16-18-1 ATS overall.

The loss of Micah Handlogten due to a fractured leg will hurt the output of a team that relied on their rebounding skills as he was 2^nd on the team in rebounds and led the team in offensive rebounds. The loss was also felt during the championship game against the Auburn Tigers. I don't expect anyone on the team to be able to replace his stats, which will put the Gators at a disadvantage in their game against the Buffaloes. As a result, I am taking the point with the Colorado Buffaloes when they face the Florida Gators in the 2024 NCAA Tournament on Friday afternoon.