George Mason 58 vs. Florida 73 (Florida -6, Under 132 ½)

George Mason stoned by Florida Gators

The improbable run of the George Mason Patriots came crashing to a halt in the Final Four with a 73-58 loss to Florida where they failed to cover as 6-point underdogs. After knocking off Michigan St., North Carolina, Wichita St. and UConn in succession, the Patriots finally met their match in the favored Gators.

Florida looked like they wouldn’t cover, heading into the locker room with a 31-26 lead at the half, but the Gators had begun to establish themselves from beyond the arc going 6-of-15 in the first half, something that would benefit them greatly in the second.

The trend continued into the second half as Florida made it rain, shooting an amazing 60 percent from beyond the arc, including three straight treys from Lee Humphrey to start. Florida ended the night 12-of-25 from 3-point range, George Mason couldn’t respond and one of the best stories from this year’s tournament came to a tragic end.

Thanks to their 3-point shooting, Florida easily covered and earned the right to play for the NCAA basketball title on Monday.

LSU 45 vs. UCLA 59 (UCLA +2, Under 121)

Bruins earn spot in the Big Dance

All the attention seemed fixated on LSU prior to the game. Glen “Big Baby” Davis was the media’s flavor du jour and bookies in Vegas had the Tigers listed as 2-point favorites. The Bruins of UCLA weren’t fazed though and proceeded to shutdown LSU 59-45.

The Bruins established strong defense in the first half, grabbing 19 defensive rebounds and headed into halftime with a 39-24 lead, well on their way to covering the 6-point spread.

The Bruins carried their strong defensive play into the second half and finished the night with 39 team rebounds, five blocked shots, and 10 steals. Glen Davis finished the night 5-17 from the field for 14-points, while the Bruins’ Luc Richard Mbah a Moute finished the night with 17-points.

With strong defense comes low totals and the game went well under the 121 set by sportsbooks. UCLA now faces the Florida Gators Monday with the national title on the line.