Florida’s road game against the Wildcats on Saturday could prove to be a crucial one when it comes to seeding in the NCAA Tournament, but it seems that its two-game winning streak has impressed ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi.
In his latest tournament projection, he has the Gators rising a seed line from No. 8 to No. 7. In their last outing, they earned a 17-point Quadrant 2 win over Auburn, and though a tough schedule remains, UF could continue to improve its stock with a strong close.
Lunardi has Florida slotted to play 10-seed Louisville in the First Round, which could certainly be a tough draw. If it survived though, it would likely get a rematch with No. 2 West Virginia, who the Gators beat in Morgantown by five.
With the bump in seed line, UF would avoid drawing a No. 1 seed until the Elite Eight, though Lunardi is now projecting it to be in the same region as top overall seed Gonzaga.
Florida wasn’t the only SEC teams on the rise in the update, as Arkansas and Tennessee both moved up to the No. 5 line. Alabama stays put as a No. 2 seed, while Missouri and LSU dropped to the No. 7 and No. 9 lines respectively.
With two Quadrant 1 games remaining, the Gators could still see some more movement before the tournament field is finalized.
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