With the regular season beginning to wind down, we’re inching closer toward a final decision from the committee regarding the NCAA Tournament and, more specifically, which teams will have the opportunity to compete in it. In its latest edition of “bubble watch,” ESPN gave a rundown of each conference and classified where each tournament-contending team stands.
The Gators are listed among the “Should Be In” category in the SEC, alongside Tennessee, Arkansas and Missouri. The only “Lock” was Alabama. Here’s what ESPN said about Florida’s tournament case.
As a team that has played the balance of the season without its SEC preseason player of the year, Florida will likely take the No. 7 seed the mock brackets are writing in next to its name and be thankful. Keyontae Johnson is in good condition after collapsing against Florida State in December, and Mike White‘s group has notched important wins at home against Tennessee and on the road at West Virginia in compiling a 10-5 record. Even without Johnson, the Gators rank alongside Alabama and Arkansas as one of the better shooting teams in SEC play.
SEC teams with “Work To Do” are LSU and Ole Miss.
Even with a Quadrant 3 loss to South Carolina and two weeks of inaction, it seems Florida’s big wins this season are enough to keep it solidly within the tournament field. That can change quickly though, and the Gators can’t afford any more slipups.
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