Once an afterthought in the postseason projections, Todd Golden’s Florida basketball team is now well in the thick of the NCAA Tournament discussion after a torrid stretch over the past month.
The prognosticators have taken notice of the Gators as their stock continues to rise, including Sports Illustrated’s Kevin Sweeney who recently released his updated bracket watch. In it, he lifted the Orange and Blue up a seed to No. 6 while also moving them over to the West Region, where Golden’s gang is now paired up with either the No. 11 Gonzaga Bulldogs or Butler Bulldogs.
Previously, Florida was a No. 7 seed in the South Region, lined up with the then-No. 10 Michigan State Spartans. Before that, the Gators were among Sweeney’s “last four in” with a No. 11 seed.
Looking around the Southeastern Conference, the overall bracket includes the Tennessee Volunteers (No. 2), Alabama Crimson Tide (No. 3), Auburn Tigers (No. 4), Kentucky Wildcats (No. 5), South Carolina Gamecocks (No. 7), Mississippi State Bulldogs (No. 9) and Texas A&M Aggies (No. 10). The Ole Miss Rebels are among the first four out of the bracket.
Florida travels to Tuscaloosa for its next matchup on Wednesday, Feb. 21, against Alabama. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. ET and the game will be broadcast on ESPN2.
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