Florida basketball has been storming along this month having won seven of its last nine to catapult the Gators into the thick of the NCAA Tournament discussion. Despite dropping the last game to the Alabama Crimson Tide, Todd Golden’s gang is still in business.
Following the road loss at Alabama, USAT moved Florida up to a No. 8 seed in the South Region, now grouped with the No. 9 Virginia Cavaliers — who beat the Gators earlier this season on a neutral court and represent their opening opponent — along with the No. 1 Houston Cougars and No. 16 Sam Houston State Bearkats in Memphis, Tennessee.
The Southeastern Conference is represented by the second-seeded Tennessee Volunteers, Alabama (No. 3), Auburn Tigers (No. 5), Kentucky Wildcats (No. 6), South Carolina Gamecocks (No. 8), Mississippi State Bulldogs (No. 9) and Texas A&M Aggies (No. 10). The Ole Miss Rebels are also among the first four out of the tournament.
The Gators return home on Saturday, Feb. 24, to host the Vanderbilt Commodores inside the O’Connell Center. Tipoff is slated for 1 p.m. ET and the game will be broadcast on the SEC Network.
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