The No. 16 Norfolk State Spartans (24-10) are set to face the top seed in the West Region, the Florida Gators (30-4) in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday in Raleigh, North Carolina.

The Spartans clinched their spot in the tournament with a 66-65 win over South Carolina State in the MEAC Championship game. Brian Moore Jr. leads the team averaging nearly 19 points per game.

The Gators secured a No. 1 seed with an 86-77 win over Tennessee in the SEC Championship game. Florida boasts a high-scoring offense, averaging 85 points per game, and a solid defense allowing just 69 points per game. Guard Walter Clayton leads the team with averages of 18 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists per game.

The winner of this game earns the right to play the winner of the UConn vs. Oklahoma game.

Lets dive into the matchup and offer some information and possibly a sweat or two.

We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch the opening tip, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.

Game details & how to watch Norfolk State vs. Florida

• Date: Friday, March 21, 2025
• Time: 6:50PM EST
• Site: PNC Arena
• City: Raleigh, NC
• Network/Streaming: TNT

Never miss a second of the action and stay up to date with all the latest scores and player news. Check out our day-by-day NCAA Basketball Schedule Page that includes live game updates.

Game odds for Norfolk State vs. Florida

The latest odds as of Thursday courtesy of BetMGM:

• Odds: Norfolk State Spartans (+3300), Florida Gators (-10000)
• Spread: Gators -28.5
• Total: 153.5 points

Expert picks & predictions for Norfolk State vs. Florida

NBC Sports Bet Best Bet

Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the NCAA calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, injuries, and the schedule.

Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.

Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Friday’s Spartans & Gators game:

• Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is staying away from a play on the Moneyline.
• Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on Florida -28.5.
• Total: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play on the Game Total UNDER 153.5.

Norfolk State vs. Florida: Top betting trends and recent stats

• Norfolk State is 12-1 in their last 14 games
• Norfolk State is 1-7 against the spread in their last 8 games (17-11 ATS for the season)
• Florida has won their last 6 games
• Florida is 6-0 against the spread in their last 6 games (23-8 ATS for the season)
• The Game Total in each of Florida’s last 6 games has cashed to the OVER

If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our NCAA Basketball Top Trends Tool on NBCSports.com!

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