After going viral for their interaction at the Sweet 16 just a week prior, Florida basketball player Bennett Andersen and UF journalism student and reporter Talia Baia met up again.
This time, Andersen and Baia were at the Final Four in San Antonio, Texas – where the Gators are set to face the Auburn Tigers on Saturday evening.
But just a few days ago, when the two were speaking to each other in San Francisco, many people remarked how a seated Andersen looked smitten with Baia.
This time, when the two met again, Andersen was seen standing up as he answered a question about his recent virality.
When Baia asked him about the incident and the spotlight it led to, Andersen called it ‘Pretty weird.’
He then went on to say that he was ‘standing up this time so I can beat the allegations.’
Florida basketball star Bennett Andersen and journalist Talia Baia re-united at the Final Four
Andersen’s love-struck interview with Baia at last week’s Sweet 16 was seen by millions on X
‘It’s been pretty funny, I just gotta enjoy it for what it is. [I’m] only gonna be famous for like a week, so I’ll take it.’
The past few days have been a whirlwind for both of them, but especially for Baia as multiple articles in many outlets have been written about their interaction.
She shared a screenshot of a few of them, including an article written by DailyMail.com, saying, ‘This is absolute madness’ along with a laughing emoji.
Social media reaction to the clip at the time saw many users fawning over their interaction.
‘I think a young man fell in love,’ one user said on X.
Another joked: ‘he was looking at her like she was the moon and stars’.
‘That man is in love lol,’ wrote a third.
‘My man found his soul mate,’ a fourth fan quipped about Andersen.
While another commented: ‘Bros better than me, I would’ve folded’.
Baia has amassed a sizeable following on social media, racking up 19k followers on Instagram
According to her LinkedIn profile, she has ‘a ton of experience’ covering a range of sports
Baia, who is also a social-media manager for Barstool Sports, has spent over three years juggling her position with ESPN Gainesville while carrying out a Sports and Media degree.
She has enjoyed a number of media internships in that time, including as a runner and broadcast associate for CBS Sports and a sports anchor for Gainesville television station WUFT.
While plying her trade as a journalist, she has also amassed a sizeable following on social media, racking up close to 19k followers on Instagram and 12k on X at the time of writing.
