As the first month of the college basketball season comes to a close, the first bracketology update from ESPN’s Joe Lunardi surfaces.
The Florida Gators missed the NCAA Tournament last year, but this squad seems like an early lock to make it. Right now, Lunardi has the Gators listed as a 9-seed in the Midwest Region.
Florida would play the 8-seed, UCLA, in Indianapolis with a chance to play 2-seed Tennessee down the line in the Elite Eight, but these projections are likely to change several times throughout the regular season.
Still, it is a good start for a program that expects to make a Final Four run every couple of years. The SEC schedule will be the real test, but Florida isn’t playing a cupcake non-conference schedule. The Gators have only lost to Baylor and Virginia, both of which are projected to make the tournament field by Lunardi.
Taking a quick look at the rest of the SEC, Texas A&M is the 3-seed and Alabama is the 4-seed in the East. Kentucky takes the 5-seed, and Arkansas is the 10-seed in the South. Finally, Auburn is alone in the West Region as the 6-seed.
The Gators are on the road this week at Wake Forest. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:15 p.m. ET on Wednesday. The game will be broadcast on ESPNU.
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