Florida basketball barely cracks field in Lunardi’s 2022 bracketology

We’re a long way away from the NCAA Tournament, but ESPN’s Joe Lunardi isn’t particularly high on Florida at the moment.

The 2020-21 season was an overall disappointment, though it had its high moments. Following a first-weekend exit in the NCAA Tournament, Florida saw the departure of six players between the transfer portal and the NBA Draft. The Gators had to be active on the transfer portal themselves just to fill the roster this offseason, and the result will be a lot of new faces earning significant playing time next season.

Though from a pure talent perspective, this could potentially be Mike White‘s best team yet (or at least among the best), it will have its work cut out for it in developing chemistry.

Because of the amount of turnover, ESPN’s Joe Lunardi isn’t particularly high on the Gators heading into 2021-22. Though he has them appearing on his bracketology update, they barely crack the field as a No. 10 seed in the East region, scheduled to take on No. 7 Oregon.

A win over the Ducks would likely draw No. 2 Purdue in the second round, and the top overall seed in the region, who UF wouldn’t play until the Elite Eight, is Kansas.

Florida is the lowest-seeded of the seven SEC teams that appear on the bracket. Alabama is a No. 2 seed while Arkansas is a No. 3 seed. Tennessee and Kentucky are both No. 4 seeds, Auburn is a No. 7 seed and LSU is a No. 9 seed.

Based on all of this, it’s clear Lunardi is starting to become skeptical of coach White and the Gators. They added four of the top transfer options in the country this offseason, but a new-look team will have to learn how to play together very quickly.

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