Summary: GatorCountry brings you a new podcast as we look at the Florida Gators basketball team’s draw in the NCAA tournament and how they match-up.<br> Andrew Spivey and Nick de la Torre break down what the Gators need to do, plus they look at week two of the Gators spring football practices.<br> Andrew and Nick also talk about what’s going wrong for the Gators baseball team, plus what is going right for the softball team this year.<br> TRANSCRIPT:<br> NCAA bb Preview<br> <br> Andrew: What’s up, Gator Country? Your man, Andrew Spivey, here with Nicholas de la Torre. Nicholas, March Madness is officially here. It got underway Sunday night, and the Gators are back in the tournament for the first time in what? Three years now?<br> Nick: Has it already been three years?<br> Andrew: Yeah. They missed it in 2015. Missed it in 2016. First time in three years. Seems like not too long ago they were making it to the Final Four with Will Yeguete and those guys.<br> Nick: Florida will, I guess, kind of return home in a sense, to Orlando, a place that they played earlier in the year as they were beginning their nomad season, while the O Dome was getting renovated.<br> Andrew: They played what seemed like …<br> Nick: They played three games at the Wide World of Sports, back in Orlando.<br> Andrew: Seemed like they played all around the state, and they did, something that was brought to my attention, they did play in 2014 in Orlando for the NCAA Tournament. Going back there. When you look at the teams that are in Florida’s bracket, East Tennessee State their first round opponent, UNC Wilmington, and then Virginia, you would think Florida should be definitely the beneficiary of home court advantage.<br> Nick: Orlando is a huge hub for Florida Gators fans. Lot of alumni, lot of boosters live there. That stadium, that arena, will be packed with Gator fans. Eastern Tennessee is 25-7 on the year, and I’m sure they’ll have some people coming down. It’s their tenth appearance in the NCAA Tournament, so I’m sure they’re excited, but Orlando’s just I expect that arena to be orange and blue from top to bottom.<br> Andrew: I mean, for me, and I was talking with this earlier on Monday with someone, and I said, “It’s kind of tough to judge Florida right now.” They lose two to Vandy, and they lose the game to Kentucky. Part of me thinks, Vandy just has Florida’s number, and Kentucky is Kentucky. Most people, if you would say you split with Kentucky each year, most Florida fans would be happy with it. Part of me looks at a Florida in a way of, “Okay, they’re struggling,” and then part of me looks at it and says, “Well, they’re really not. They played the team that has their number, and they played Kentucky.” Is that kind of where you look at it as well, Nick? What’s your mindset?<br> Nick: You’re saying that Florida is only in the same breath as Kentucky in the SEC?<br> Andrew: Yeah. That’s kind of what I was saying. It’s tough for me to say Florida is struggling and be 100% correct, because if they don’t play Vandy they’re not struggling. Chance are they’re not going to play Vandy in the NCAA Tournament.<br> Nick: I think the team has definitely looked different since losing John Egbunu. Let’s just face it. The SEC is not very good at basketball. What did they get six teams in? Five teams in?<br> Andrew: Five, yes.<br> Nick: Five. I still don’t think they’re very good. I don’t expect an SEC team, outside of maybe Kentucky, and I don’t even think Kentucky is that great when you come into it. I don’t expect an SEC team to win it all, but I think, if you look at where Florida is as a five seed, and the kind of season that they had,
