Florida basketball eked out a win over the East Carolina Pirates on Thursday night in what was a far-too-close-for-comfort victory over a team they it was favored to beat by 15. The 70-65 final score left a lot of questions to be answered, but as head coach Todd Golden said afterward, “A win is a win.”
Except that is not always completely true. Following the win, the Gators actually lost ground in the NET rankings falling from No. 43 to No. 47. True, these rankings mean very little this early in the season, but the drop — much like their inconsistent play — is mildly disconcerting.
The Orange and Blue now sit between the No. 46 Villanova Wildcats and the No. 48 Nevada Wolf Pack. The team is 1-2 in Quadrant 1 games while putting up a 1-1 mark in Q2, 1-0 in Q3 and 4-0 in Q4.
Next up for Florida are the Michigan Wolverines, who will face the Gators in Charlotte, North Carolina, for this year’s Jumpman Invitational on Tuesday, Dec. 19. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET and the game will be broadcast on ESPN.
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