Here’s where Sports Illustrated has Florida seeded ahead of Selection Sunday

Selection Sunday for the 2021 NCAA Tournament has finally arrived: here’s where Sports Illustrated expected the Florida Gators to be seeded.

Selection Sunday for the 2021 NCAA Tournament has finally arrived as conferences around the nation wrap up their own tournaments and anoint their league leaders. Among those are the Southeastern Conference, which wraps up its bracket on Sunday afternoon when the No. 1 seed Alabama Crimson Tide faces No. 3 LSU Tigers for the conference crown.

The Florida Gators, who were seeded fifth in the tourney, were run out by the No. 4 seeded Tennessee Volunteers on Friday which set the tone for the postseason prognostications ahead of the Big Dance. While the Gators had not moved much in the polls over the past few weeks despite some questionable efforts on the court, the loss solidified its place in the middle of the NCAA Tournament pack.

On Sunday morning, Sports Illustrated published its final bracket, placing UF at the No. 8 seed and lined up to play the No. 9 North Carolina Tar Heels in the first round of the Gonzaga Region bracket. A first-round win would likely set the Gators up for a meeting with the No. 1 seed Gonzaga Bulldogs in the second round.

As far as fellow SEC schools are concerned, Florida is joined by No. 2 Alabama, No. 3 Arkansas Razorbacks, No. 5 Tennessee, No. 6 Missouri Tigers and No. 9 LSU in this year’s March Madness. Selection Sunday begins at 6 p.m. EST and will be broadcast on CBS Sports.

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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