NCAA

Iowa sent the top-seeded Gators back to Gainesville from Tampa and moved onto the Sweet 16, which won't have any Cinderellas this year.

Anticipation was high among fans, but the Bulls couldn't get past the Louisville Cardinals. While disappointed by the 83-79 loss, fans appreciated the team's effort.

Hodgson's eyes began to well when Izaiyah Nelson referred to him as a father figure. The coach also praised his parents and took exception to comments by Louisville's coach about some Bulls players.

The Bulls missed 20 of their first 21 3-point attempts and fell behind by 23 points in the second half before going on run over the final 11 minutes. But it wasn't enough to overcome the Cardinals at the end.

Florida, the top seed in the South Region, plays Prarie View in the first round on Friday night at Benchmark International Arena. UF Coach Todd Golden says the proximity to Gainesville is "fantastic."

USF is in Buffalo to meet Louisville in the first round of the NCAA tournament. A day earlier, the Bulls' coach shared some of the scars as a foster child and joys from adoption.

Florida will open defense of its title at Benchmark International Arena in the South Region on Friday against the winner of a First Four game between Prairie View A&M and Lehigh.

The Bulls will open on Thursday at 1:30 p.m. against Louisville in Buffalo – a homecoming for Coach Bryan Hodgson. They earned the bid by beating Wichita State in the American tournament final.

The Bulls need one more victory to earn an automatic bid in the NCAA tournament. A loss means waiting for a possible at-large bid from the selection committee.

South Florida thrashed the 49ers last weekend, but the stakes are higher now. The Bulls, the No. 1 seed, can earn a bid to the NCAAs with a win in Saturday's semifinal and in the title game Sunday.

New College of Florida plans to divert $2.5 million from its auxiliary housing fund to help build a new baseball field, despite the campus facing an ongoing student housing shortage.

The arrangement with Collegiate Athletic Solutions, a platform co‑founded by Tampa‑based Weatherford Capital, would give each school access to a $30 million line of credit while supporting conference operations.