Florida vs Maryland basketball injury report and predictions, March 27: Latest on Sam Alexis and more

Florida vs Maryland is the second matchup on the first day of the Sweet 16 in March Madness. The No. 1 Florida Gators will take on the No. 4 Maryland Terrapins at 7:39 p.m. ET on Thursday.

Heading into the matchup, the Gators will be looking to bounce back after nearly getting upset by No. 8 UConn in the second round. They narrowly escaped with a 77-75 win. Similarly, the Terrapins were nearly the second victim of an upset at the hands of No. 12 Colorado State, edging the Rams 72-71.

As always, the injury report will be a factor in this matchup. Fortunately, neither team has many injuries. However, injuries could still have an impact on the result.

Florida vs Maryland basketball injury report

Jahari Long, Maryland

Senior guard Jahari Long played 30 games for the Terrapins last season, averaging 4.7 points per game while playing well defensively. However, he suffered a knee injury before the start of the season and has been unable to get healthy enough to return. He is listed as out again for Florida vs Maryland.

Braden Pierce, Maryland

Freshman Braden Pierce has not played much this season, only appearing in five games. However, he has not appeared since December because of an eye injury. The nature of his injury is unclear, but the team has opted to shut him down for the rest of the year, making him unavailable for Florida vs Maryland.

Sam Alexis, Florida

The only injured player for the Florida Gators is Sam Alexis. The forward has not appeared since early February after suffering an ankle injury. He has missed 12 straight games but could return for Florida vs Maryland. He is listed as a game-time decision on the injury report.

Florida vs Maryland basketball prediction

Heading into this matchup, DraftKings has Florida as a -290 favorite and Maryland as a +235 underdog. If the Terrapins were coming off a more dominant second-round performance, it would be more enticing to look at them as an upset threat.

The Florida Gators were nearly upset in the second round, so an upset in the Sweet 16 would not be surprising.

However, since neither team looked impressive in the second round, it seems more likely that the higher-seeded team, Florida, will come out on top. The game should still be close as the spread is set at 6.5 points.

Prediction: Florida 80, Maryland 77