From 68 to 16: March Madness 2017 First Weekend Primer
Pod #3 – Orlando, Florida
| Colors | Location | Record | RPI | ||
| #3 | Florida State Seminoles | Garnet, Gold | Tallahassee, FL | 25-8 | 13 |
| #6 | Maryland Terrapins | Red, White, Black | College Park, MD | 24-8 | 34 |
| #11 | Xavier Musketeers | Navy, White | Cincinnati, OH | 21-13 | 36 |
| #14 | Florida Gulf Coast Eagles | Cobalt Blue, Emerald | Fort Myers, FL | 26-7 | 85 |
#6 Maryland vs. #11 Xavier — Thursday, 6:50 p.m., CBS
Line: Maryland (-1.5)
FiveThirtyEight: Maryland (51%)
These two teams’ RPI are separated by only two spots (Maryland’s 34, Xavier’s is 36), despite Xavier losing five more games. The Musketeers won only one of their seven games against top 25 opponents and lost seven of their last ten games. Melo Trimble averaged 17 points per game for the Terrapins, but Maryland lost six of its last ten games.
#3 Florida State vs. #14 Florida Gulf Coast —Thursday, 9:20 p.m., TNT
Line: Florida State (-12)
FiveThirtyEight: Florida State (88%)
Florida Gulf Coast will try to debut Dunk City 2.0 after winning the Atlantic Sun regular season and tournament championships. Both the Eagles rebound well, and Brandon Goodwin averages 18.2 points for Florida Gulf Coast, but the Seminoles can match FGCU on the glass and average 82 points a game and finished second in the ACC.
Second Round Outlook
Florida State is the favorite out of this pod, although Xavier has proven its ability to beat good teams by beating Butler and will probably be a common upset pick in what is being projected as a near toss-up.