The Sweet 16 continues on Thursday night with a contest between the UCLA Bruins and the Florida Gators from the FedExForum in Memphis. Florida, the number-one seed, will have its hands full with the four-seed Bruins. Both of these teams have the pieces in place to reach the Final Four, but only one will survive this contest. As strong as UCLA is, we still like Florida in this contest as they work towards another title.
Gators ready to chomp UCLA to bits
We know, the line is cliche, but we had to use it. Florida has had an incredible season, with just two losses and an undefeated mark in the SEC. Now, they have their sights set on a Sweet 16 win and a berth in the Elite Eight. If the Gators get off to a fast start, then they should have absolutely no problem winning this game against the Bruins. Florida has held opponents to just 57.5 points per game this year.
Bruins must start fast tonight for a win
If UCLA even wants to be in this game during the final minutes, they will need to start fast and hold strong against an impressive Florida team. UCLA was able to hold opponents to 70.1 points per game this season, which is nothing to sneeze at, but nowhere near as good as the Gators defense. They are the third-ranked team in the country with 9.3 steals per game. If both defenses play to their potential tonight, this should be one incredible game to watch.
We head over to the popular Sportsbook.ag to find the betting odds for tonight’s Sweet 16 contest between the Florida Gators and the UCLA Bruins. The Gators are favored by five points over the Bruins, but this is not why we are backing them. They are hands-down the best team in the nation, which is why we will lay the line with 20 percent of our bankroll for Florida tonight.
Chris Wassel
AA, AAS
CURRENTLY
Sports Writer and Journalist
RESIDES IN
Rahway, NJ
EDUCATION
Union County College, Montclair State University
EXPERTISE
Business, Writing, Sports, Food, Grilling, Olympics, Injuries, Politics, and more
Summary
Member of FSWA, FSGA, and a variety of Sports Betting Groups.
Works on injuries for a variety of sites. Edits articles from NASCAR to football and beyond.
Occasionally runs sites like mynhltraderumor.com and Full Press Hockey/Bets.
Does a podcast for Full Press Hockey and a few other sports too.
Experience
Chris Wassel has 20+ years of sports journalistic experience in various disciplines.
His ability to play sports is well documented. Most people in the business just write. However, Chris will race cars and even a super Moto bike from time to time. There is that fitness and hiking/cycling aspect too.
Chris has climbed mountains from Mount Washington to Mount San Jacinto in Palm Springs, California. For those that do not know. Chris also dabbles in food eating contests and challenges. Having a unique background with friends including Joey Chestnut and Casey Webb, Chris has the ability to eat a whole 16-pound turkey or a 32 inch meat lover's pizza.
Since 2013, Chris does focus on things like fitness, fishing, and sports. One would be surprised that Chris runs, hikes, and rock climbs. There are even those occasional mini-triathlons. One truly can pack a lot in a small package. Chris can lift things over his body weight with ease. Also, if there is a NASCAR rain prop, Chris can tell you if there will be a Monday race.
Throughout his career, Chris has worked at a wide range of places from Amazon to USA Today to a variety of rumors and fantasy sports sites.
Finally, Chris has been nominated for quite a few awards from the Fantasy Sports Writers Association for Hockey Writer Of The Year. Also, there have been a number of high-stakes fantasy trophies and rings that Chris sports in his house.
Education
Chris received an Associates from Union Country College for business and accounting. Chris did sports journalism work at Montclair State University covering the hockey, baseball, and football teams.
Quote from Chris Wassel
"Shut up and play.”