Tournament season is in high gear as conferences around the country continue to winnow their brackets down to a team to crown as champion. The Southeastern Conference is no exception, which played its quarterfinal round on Friday with results that were none-too-pleasing for Gators fans.
After a narrow win over the No. 12 seed Vanderbilt Commodores on Thursday in the second round, No. 5 Florida got spanked for the second time in five days by the Tennessee Volunteers on Friday signaling their exit from conference tournament play. While the team has lost three of its past four games, the outlook in the Big Dance has not really changed much across the bracketology landscape.
On Saturday, USA TODAY Sports and Sports Illustrated — among others — published their updated NCAA Tournament bracket projections, with both joining the general consensus placing the Gators at the No. 8 seed. CBS Sports also chimed in on Saturday morning with their own update, which predictably agreed with both.
As the No. 8 seed Florida would face the No. 9 seed North Carolina Tar Heels in the first round of the East bracket, potentially meeting No. 1 Illinois Illini in the second round if both prevail. It is a very tough road ahead for the Gators seeded this low, but the team squandered opportunities to bolster its resume, and unfortunately, this is the reality Mike White’s squad has to deal with.
Get ready for March Madness by registering in advance for USA TODAY Sports’ bracket sweepstakes. In the meantime, mobile users can play USA TODAY Sports’ Couchketball virtual hoops challenge – the interactive basketball game where your skills determine the outcome.
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