It was a very brief run for Florida basketball in this year’s Southeastern Conference Tournament after the Mississippi State Bulldogs ousted the Gators in Game 3 of the second round on Thursday in overtime, 69-68. The Orange and Blue nearly pulled off the win to earn a chance to face the Alabama Crimson Tide in the next round, but alas, it was not to be.
The Gators came into the game ranked No. 59 in the NET rankings and fell two spots to No. 61 following the loss. Florida is now 16-16 overall with a 9-10 mark in SEC play while putting up a 2-13 record against Quadrant 1 opponents, 1-2 against Quad 2, 9-1 against Quad 3 and 4-0 against Quad 4.
That is it for Florida basketball for now, pending an invitation to one of the other postseason events such as the National Invitation Tournament or the College Basketball Invitational — the former appearing to be quite likely. Selections for the NIT will be announced on Sunday, March 12, and the competition will begin on March 14 at campus sites. The CBI tips off on Sunday, March 18, in Daytona Beach, Florida.
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