An interview with Florida Gators guard Bennett Andersen went viral after he appeared noticeably “smitten” by a female reporter during their conversation, sparking a lot of speculation online, and suggesting that there was more than just basketball in the air.
After the Florida Gators’ 87-71 Sweet 16 victory against the Maryland Terrapins on Thursday, March 28, reporter Talia Baia went into the Chase Center’s locker room to interview Andersen.
Gators guard Bennett Andersen’s wide-eyed interview with ESPN reporter Talia Baia went viral
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The ESPN Gainesville reporter initially congratulated the Florida hero for making a two-pointer in the win and helping his team advance to the Elite Eight stage, saying, “First of all, congrats on your bucket, that was huge.”
She then asked the guard, “I just want to know how was the trip here, and how was the energy going into that game?” to which Anderson replied, “Trip’s been awesome, energy was good.”
Baia then followed up with some more questions, and the graduate player was eager to reply.
But after Baia posted the interview on X, on Sunday, fans pointed out an obvious takeaway from the interview: Andersen could not stop gazing and smiling at the interviewer.
Fans quickly noticed how Andersen was looking at the reporter, with many saying he “fell in love”
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The senior guard seemed pretty distracted while talking to Baia, which led fans to believe that the March Madness star “fell in love” with the reporter. Comments flooded the X post shared by Baia, who is a student reporter at ESPN 98.1.
One user said, “I think a young man fell in love,” on X.
“That man is in love lol,” shared another user, while one quipped, “He looks stuck lol.”
“He’s falling in love during this interview,” one user wrote, while another added, “That interview meant waaaaay more than the bucket. He won’t sleep for a month after that interview.”
Others added that Andersen “found his soul mate” and that he was “speechless”
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The comment section had a variety of hilarious reactions from witty users. One user joked, “he was looking at her like she was the moon and stars.”
One user mocked the young basketball player, saying, “Great eye contact Buckets.”
Another called out Andersen, saying, “My man found his soul mate.”
While one user lauded the player, saying, “Bros better than me, I would’ve folded,” another user agreed with Andersen, saying, “Bros speechless (I’d be too).”
And one user just cut to the chase, saying, “He can’t stand up.”
Baia is a student reporter from Florida who is well known in sports media
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Baia is a familiar face in Florida’s sports media. She brings the game closer to fans with her sideline reports and locker-room insights. She currently has over 16,000 Instagram followers and another 9,000 on X. According to her LinkedIn profile, she is a student of the University of Florida with reporting experience covering college and high school sports through her work with ESPN, WUFT News, Barstool Sports, and more.
Although the viral interview got fans talking about Andersen’s glances, some people questioned Baia’s interviewing skills and the way she handled the microphone.
One user questioned Baia’s reporting, saying, “Why are you interviewing him like that? No eye level? Weird.”
While another asked, “Why do you hold the mic like that?”
Others criticized her, with one user saying, “There is no way she a real reporter,” and another adding, “Let’s be honest. Horrible reporter. Was like a high school reporter.”
Netizens questioned Baia’s interviewing skills after her conversation with Andersen went viral
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Andersen, on the other hand, is a rising star in basketball who has had considerable experience at the University of Florida, both as a manager and a player in the college’s team.
“I didn’t realize going into a player I would learn so much different stuff and see it a different way, but I feel like I have,” Andersen told The Gainesville Sun in a recent interview. “Just getting to be in the locker room in practice and hearing guys thoughts on how practice went, and different things going on I think has taught me a ton.”
Andersen helped the Florida Gators advance to the Elite Eight stage on Thursday
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Andersen, known as “Buckets” for his knack for scoring, made headlines during Florida’s Sweet 16 game against Maryland on Thursday.
Andersen seized the spotlight by grabbing a crucial offensive rebound with 40 seconds left in the game, driving to the hoop for a layup that contributed to Florida’s victory, eventually helping the team advance to the Elite Eight.
However, Andersen’s playing time was limited during the Elite Eight matchup against Texas Tech on the following Saturday, March 29.
Despite not playing in Saturday’s game, Andersen made headlines off the court with his viral interview
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Despite not playing, his team, led by Walter Clayton Jr.’s impressive 30-point performance, secured an 84-79 victory to advance to the Final Four. Teammates Thomas Haugh and Alijah Martin also contributed to the win, scoring 20 and 10 points, respectively.
Although Andersen didn’t play against Texas Tech on Saturday, he still made headlines off the court, especially with his viral post-game moment with Baia.
Online users rushed to comment on the viral interview on social media
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