Florida basketball was flying high heading into the final weekend of the regular season. But instead of closing things out against a struggling Vanderbilt Commodores program, the Gators fell flat in the final minutes and lost on the road, 79-78, to end things on a sour note.
As a result, the Orange and Blue was unable to climb back into the Associated Press Poll‘s top 25, leaving Todd Golden’s gang with just eight votes. Last week, they held 39 votes while the two weeks prior Florida was ranked No. 24.
Looking around the Southeastern Conference the Tennessee Volunteers are ranked No. 5, followed by the Kentucky Wildcats (No. 9), Auburn Tigers (No. 12), South Carolina Gamecocks (No. 15) and Alabama Crimson Tide (No. 19). No other SEC school earned votes.
Florida is a No. 6 seed in the Southeastern Conference Tournament, giving it a first-round bye and matching the Gators up with the winner of Game 2 on Thursday, March 14, inside Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. Tipoff is slated for a late 9:30 p.m. ET start on the SEC Network.
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