Florida’s stint outside of ESPN’s bracket projections didn’t last long as the Gators’ win over Oklahoma State on Saturday boosted them back into the Last Four In, according to Joe Lunardi’s latest bracketology update.
UF was the first team out of the NCAA Tournament in the last update after consecutive losses to Ole Miss and Tennessee. Things didn’t look great against the Cowboys at halftime on Saturday with the Gators down by 13 points, but a dominant second-half led to a comeback win. It’s the first time in program history that the Gators have beaten opponents from the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12 and Pac-12 in the same season.
To make the win even more impressive, Florida was without both starting center Colin Castleton and his backup Jason Jitoboh. The Quadrant 2 victory has Florida back in a play-in game on Lunardi’s bracket, but it’s better than not being on the bracket at all.
A victory over Wyoming would make UF the 12-seed in the Midwest Region, and a win in the first round would set up a likely matchup with Providence. Auburn is the No. 1 seed in the region, so Florida would likely have to get past the Tigers to move forward in the tournament.
The SEC is well-represented once again in Lunardi’s bracket. LSU and Arkansas are in the West as the Nos. 6 and 9 seeds, respectively. Kentucky is the No. 2 seed in the South along with fifth-seeded Alabama, and Tennessee is projected to the No. 4 seed in the East.
Mississippi State is the next closest SEC team to making it in. The Bulldogs are in Lunardi’s First Four Out, but the Gators secured what could wind up being a crucial win over them in January. Florida State is another team on the bubble that Florida holds a victory over.
Handling Missouri and Ole Miss in the coming week could get Florida out of the danger zone for a little while, but losses would put the Gators back on the outside of the bracket.
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