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Regardless of you are a basketball fan or not, “we’re going dancing” is a phrase heard around the world, and especially on UF's campus this week. It is an exciting time of the year and everyone knows all Gator fans have at least one bracket seeing the young squad win it all.

UF currently leads the SEC in appearances among the division, heading to their fourth-straight NCAA Tournament. They earned themselves a No. 7 seed this year and are headed to Indianapolis to face the No. 10 seed Virginia Tech, hoping to continue their seven-game first round tournament win streak under Mike White.

The all-time series record between the Gators and Hokies is led by VT, 5-4, and the last time the Gators met up with the Hokies was on Dec. 28, 1991 under coach Lon Kruger. The Hokies won that game, actually not so far from Gainesville at the Amway Arena in Orlando. The final score was 57-79.

The Gators need to pick up the pace and approach this game a different way if they want any shot at winning this matchup; Tennessee has been their kryptonite, and if VT can imitate that and more, the Gators could be in big trouble. The Hokies are a good squad and have been projected in multiple brackets to make a big tournament run this year.

Junior forward Keve Aluma, a transfer from Wofford is the one to watch on their team. He led the team this season in PPG (15.6) and rebounds (8). He finished their last matchup in the ACC Tournament against North Carolina with nine points, four assists and eight rebounds. He hasn’t missed a game all season and is shooting 72.6 percent from the charity stripe.

SEVEN: Florida has won seven straight NCAA first round games, including all three under head coach Mike White.

FOUR: Tre Mann has scored 20+ points in four straight appearances, just the third Gator over the past 25 seasons to post such a streak, joining Nick Calathes (Jan.-Feb. 2009) and Matt Walsh (Feb. 2004). Mann exploded for 28 of his 30 points vs. Tennessee in the second half.

THREE: The Gators have had three incoming transfers from Virginia Tech over the past eight seasons, including Dorian Finney-Smith, Jalen Hudson and Kerry Blackshear Jr. Finney-Smith and Blackshear were All-SEC performers at UF, while Hudson was the Gators’ leading scorer in 2017-18.

“Attention to detail. Physicality. Athleticism. Strength. They’re a group that really moves well laterally, stays in front of the ball, stays in a stance. They block out well and fight you for every of the floor in terms of wing catches and post touches. They’re just very sound.”

"Yeah, you talk about a high basketball IQ, he’s high level. (Keve Aluma's) one of the better players we will play against this season. Definitely one of the better bigs. He may be a little bit unique. I’m not sure we’ve played a big like him. He’s not a conventional big. A shot-blocker. A guy who can switch onto guards. Seems to be their interior anchor. I know you asked about defense, but I can’t help myself. Offensively, he’s just an absolute problem with pick-and-pop and driving bigs and posting guards. Can shoot it. Arguably their best passer. Really good player."

"I don’t know (Wabissa Bede) personally. I haven’t seen them play a hundred times. That said, in the short amount of time I’ve watched them in the past 72 hours, under the microscope of course, with this being the NCAA Tournament, have a high level of respect for what seems to be an on-the-court leader. A guy with a chip. A guy who understands who he is and plays within himself offensively and makes everyone around him better. Defensively, really can pressure the ball and dictate where you’re going with the ball, at times. He’s got really good strength and length and seems to have a very high basketball IQ.”

"It's pretty cool to get this experience, because last year the season was cut short. So it's cool just to be here, but now I'm just ready to tip it up and play."

"I mean, I feel like more is on the line now that it's win or go home. But I've played in big games before, so we're going to see. I'm just ready to get out there and experience it."

"I was just looking forward to playing the games because games were postponed this year, games were canceled. I was just looking at it one game at a time. Then we got closer and then we started playing to make March, to make this tournament. We’re here. I’m just grateful that we’re here and we’re one of the teams participating.”

"It’s been different games where different players score points or get rebounds, or block shots. I feel like when we put it all together though we’re going to be pretty good. Some shots aren’t falling for some people right now. Everybody goes through slumps. I have confidence in our guys that they’ll pick it up when it’s time.”