Gators basketball in familiar spot in latest SI bracket

Despite wins in its last two games, Florida struggles to find a way to move itself above the eight-seed line as the season nears its close.

Florida has won its last two games including a 74-57 road win over Auburn on Tuesday night. Those wins might have helped it secure its NCAA Tournament positioning, but they didn’t seem to give the Gators much of a boost in bracket projections.

In the latest bracket from Sports Illustrated, UF is listed as the No. 8 seed in Region 3, the same seed line where most other bracketology predictions have it landing. In this projection, Florida draws nine-seeded Boise State in the first round. A win in that game would almost certainly set up a matchup with No. 1 seed Michigan in the Round of 32.

The Gators could potentially face two other SEC teams before the Final Four, as No. 5 Tennessee and No. 6 Missouri both reside within their region in this projected bracket. Other league teams in this field are No. 2 Alabama, No. 6 Arkansas and No. 9 LSU.

Florida could see its seed rise or fall depending on the outcome of the last three games, which feature road bouts against Tennessee and Kentucky and a matchup with Missouri at home. It’s a tough stretch to end the season, but if it performs well, UF could see its seed line rise before the official bracket is released.

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