Michigan has Florida next in NCAA Tournament Round of 32

Wolverines, Gators meet for tournament rematch

Charles Matthews of the Michigan Wolverines on March 21, 2019 in Des Moines, Iowa. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

The 2nd-seeded Michigan Wolverines handled 15th-seeded Montana on Thursday to punch their ticket to the Round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament.

It's the second-straight year that the Wolverines knocked out Montana in the opening round of the tournament. The Wolverines are rewarded with a meeting against the 10th-seeded Florida Gators.

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  • WHEN: 5:15 p.m. Saturday
  • WHERE: Wells Fargo Arena, Des Moines
  • TV: CBS

Michigan is trying to get back to the national title game for a second-straight year. The Wolverines shot a stunning 49 percent to beat Montana. That made up for 12 turnovers.

Meanwhile, Florida topped 7th-seeded Nevada in an upset, 70-61. The Gators (19-15 overall) are a bit of a surprise, but that's what March is all about anyway. Nevada (29-4 overall) were Mountain West champions with a 15-3 conference record, but they were badly outshot by Florida on Thursday, turning over the ball 14 times. Florida dominated with a field goal percentage of 45.3.

Michigan is 2-1 against Florida all time. The schools most recently met in the 2013 tournament regional final (Elite Eight) when Michigan won, 79-59.

The Wolverines rolled past Florida, then Syracuse on their way the the national championship game that year.

READ MORE: How Michigan basketball's past 5 trips to NCAA tournament have gone


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