It was not the finish to the regular season that the Gator Nation expected on Saturday when the Vanderbilt Commodores stood their ground at home and outlasted Florida, 79-78. A double-digit favorite coming in, Todd Golden’s team once again struggled on the road and showed a great deal of weakness in the second half.
Following the loss, the Orange and Blue fell seven spots from No. 28 on game day to No. 35 overall in the NET rankings; the previous update after the Alabama Crimson Tide win had it at No. 26. Todd Golden’s team now sits between the No. 34 Florida Atlantic Owls and the No. 36 Colorado State Rams.
Here’s how the quadrant system breaks things up:
- Quadrant 1: Home 1-30, Neutral 1-50, Away 1-75
- Quadrant 2: Home 31-75, Neutral 51-100, Away 76-135
- Quadrant 3: Home 76-160, Neutral 101-200, Away 135-240
- Quadrant 4: Home 161-353, Neutral 201-353, Away 241-353
The Gators are 4-7 against Quadrant 1 opponents, 3-2 against Quadrant 2 opponents, 8-1 against Quadrant 3 opponents and 6-0 against Quadrant 4 opponents. They hold a 21-10 record overall and an 11-7 final mark in Southeastern Conference play.
That lone Quadrant 3 loss might come back to bite the Gators when the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee makes their final decision on the seedings.
Florida is a No. 6 seed in the SEC Tournament, giving it a first-round bye and matching the Gators up with the winner of Game 2 on Thursday, March 14, inside Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. Tipoff is slated for a late 9:30 p.m. ET start on the SEC Network.
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