Bracketology round-up: Michigan State basketball arrives to Selection Sunday

Follow along with what the bracketologists say is going to happen to Michigan State ahead of the selection show:

The time is here and it is officially Selection Sunday, unfortunately for Michigan State fans, it has turned into a stressful day of anticipation.

Quite frankly, coming into yesterday, there were four scenarios that Spartan fans did not want to see happen. Unfortunately, once again for MSU and it’s fans, all four scenarios happened and the bubble has shrunk drastically.

In unprecedented fashion, there has been five bids stolen over the past two days, turning the bubble into an absolute mess. On Friday, the Spartans were a lock and looking at a 9 or 10 seed. On Sunday morning, Dayton and the First Four might be looking like the best case scenario.

Luckily, putting Spartans fans at ease, for now, the bracketologists still love the Spartans chances of getting into the field of 68:

*this list will be updated throughout the day, heading into the selection show*

Bracket Matrix ranking: Not ranked

MSU’s seed: 9-seed vs Dayton

Click here to see USA Today’s full bracketology

Bracket Matrix ranking: No. 98

MSU’s seed: Last Four In – 10-seed

Click here to see ESPN’s full bracketology

Bracket Matrix ranking: No. 142

MSU’s seed: 10-seed – Last Four In

Click here to see CBS’s full bracketology

Bracket Matrix ranking: No. 75

MSU’s seed: 10-seed vs Clemson

Click here to read Fox’s full bracketology

Bracket Matrix ranking: No. 1

MSU’s seed: NO SUNDAY UPDATE YET, formerly 10-seed

*messaged Spartans Wire yesterday saying MSU had greater than 90% chance*

Click here to see Bracketometry’s full bracketology

Bracket Matrix ranking: No. 2

MSU’s seed: 10-seed, Last Four In

Click here to see 1-3-1 Sports’ full bracketology

Bracket Matrix ranking: No. 22

MSU’s seed: 10-seed, Last Four In

Click here to see T3’s bracketology

Bracket Matrix ranking: No. 37 (newbie section)

MSU’s seed: 10-seed, Last Four In

Click here to see JBR’s full bracketology

Bracket Matrix ranking: No. 54

MSU seed: Last Four In

Click here to see Graham Doeren’s bracketology

Bracket Matrix ranking: No. 65

MSU seed: 11-seed, Last Four In

Click here to see Delphi’s full bracketology

Bracket Matrix ranking: No. 14 (newbie)

MSU seed: 10-seed, Last Four In

Click here to see Projection Sports’ full bracket

Bracket Matrix ranking: No. 20

MSU seed: 10-seed, Last Four In

Click here to read The Round Robin’s full bracket

Bracket Matrix ranking: No. 9

MSU seed: 10-seed, Last Four In

Click here to read Bracksketblogs full bracketology

Bracket Matrix ranking: No. 10

MSU seed: 10-seed, Last Four In

Click here to read Scott’s full bracketology

Bracket Matrix ranking: Not ranked

MSU seed: 10-seed, Last Four In

Click here to see NKY’s full seed list

If there is anything Spartan fans can hold their hats on, to this point of the stressful day, is that 100% of the brackets submitted into the Bracket Matrix have the Spartans in the field. Continue to refresh the matrix to follow along the additional updated brackets:

Click here to see the whole Bracket Matrix

Florida now ‘should be in’ NCAA tournament, per The Athletic

Florida joins Kentucky and South Carolina as SEC teams that are projected to make it int the Big Dance.

A month ago, the Gator Nation was getting really nervous about their beloved Florida basketball team’s chances of making it into the NCAA Tournament – especially after missing out on the postseason festivities for the last three years.

But thanks to a scorching hot streak of success over the past month, the Orange and Blue are firmly back in business.

In fact, The Athletic’s Justin Williams released his latest bubble watch update for this season’s Big Dance, and among other moves, now projects Todd Golden’s team to make the final cut and play in the most prestigious tournament in amateur sports. Previously, the Gators were “on the bubble” but their recent success has elevated the team into contention.

The Alabama Crimson TideTennessee Volunteers and Auburn Tigers were listed as locks for the tournament, while the Kentucky Wildcats and South Carolina Gamecocks joined Florida on the second tier. The Ole Miss Rebels, Mississippi State Bulldogs and Texas A&M Aggies comprise the final level of those “on the bubble”.

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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ESPN recognizes Florida’s prolific offense in latest bubble watch

ESPN’s John Gasaway had some flattering things to say about the Orange and Blue’s offensive assault. 

Todd Golden has put together an offensive force in Gainesville this season, piecing together the roster from mostly transfer portal players and freshmen, and the nation is taking notice. After beating the Georgia Bulldogs on the road Saturday, KenPom has Florida with the ninth-best offensive efficiency in college basketball — one of many metrics that are bullish on the Gators.

ESPN’s John Gasaway also updated his NCAA Tournament bubble watch following the victory with some flattering things to say about the Orange and Blue’s offensive assault.

“After a secret ballot vote by the Bubble Watch staff, we are pleased to congratulate Florida on being named the Official Shot Volume Ambassador of 2024,” he begins. “Yes, other teams post even higher shot volumes than the Gators. (We see you, Texas A&M.) But Todd Golden’s projected No. 8 seed really makes this stuff come alive thanks to merely average shooting.

“When your offense ranks No. 6 in the league for effective FG percentage, but you’re ringing up 1.15 points per possession on the conference season, you are recording attempts in bunches. Well done, UF.”

Florida travels to Tuscaloosa for its next matchup on Wednesday, Feb. 21, against the Alabama Crimson Tide. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. ET and the game will be broadcast on ESPN2.

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ESPN’s bubble watch still thinks Gators ‘should be in’ tournament

ESPN’s Kyle Gasaway published his latest bracket watch column with an update following Florida’s two-point win over LSU on Tuesday.

Florida basketball has done well of late, winning six of its last seven despite recurring second-half collapses which has put them firmly in the NCAA Tournament picture. But the Gators still have some work to do.

ESPN’s Kyle Gasaway published his latest bracket watch column with an update following Florida’s two-point win over the LSU Tigers on Tuesday. The Orange and Blue remain among those teams he feels “should be in” the tournament, but far from locks.

“LSU’s Jordan Wright was so wide open for a last-second shot in the lane that he appeared to be surprised. His attempt missed, and Florida escaped with a two-point win at home over the Tigers,” Gasaway begins. “Todd Golden’s team has now won six of its past seven outings, with two of the victories coming in overtime against Georgia and Kentucky.

“This run of success has lifted the Gators all the way to the No. 9 line in mock brackets,” he continues. “Florida can hold that position with a win at Georgia then potentially improve it markedly depending on what happens in the following contest at Alabama.”

Golden and the Gators next travel to Athens for a rematch with the Georgia Bulldogs on Saturday, Feb. 17. Tipoff is slated for an early 1 p.m. start and the game will be broadcast on the SEC Network.

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ESPN’s college basketball bubble watch thinks Florida ‘should be in’

Florida made some headway in John Gasaway’s latest bubble watch update for ESPN.

The college basketball bracketologies, bubble watches and objective rankings have all started to favor the Florida Gators in recent days thanks to a pair of major victories that signaled the arrival of Todd Golden’s team.

Over the past two weeks, the Orange and Blue have played three games thanks to a bye, having beaten the Kentucky Wildcats in overtime inside Rupp Arena while blowing out the Auburn Tigers inside the O’Connell Center. Their only blemish in that stretch was a last-minute loss at the Texas A&M Aggies that should have been won.

With the Auburn win under its belt, Florida made some headway in John Gasaway’s latest bubble watch update for ESPN, in which the Gators are now among the “should be in” category among their Southeastern Conference peers.

“There was a case to be made that Florida was being undervalued by bracket projections even before the Gators won by 15 at home against Auburn. A similar dynamic surfaced at more or less this same point in the bubble season last year with Kentucky,” Gasaway notes.

“In any event, Todd Golden’s team was being shown as ‘last four in’ material while carrying stronger rankings than that in several of the NCAA’s preferred metrics,” he continues. “It’s possible the projected seed and the rankings might begin to converge just as they did a year ago with Kentucky.”

In his last update, the Gators were among the teams with “work to do” — the final tier. It looks like Golden’s gang is trending the right direction as the NCAA Tournament picture comes into focus.

Next up for the Gators are the LSU Tigers, who come to Gainesville to take on Florida inside the O’Connell Center on Tuesday, Feb. 13. Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET and the game will be broadcast on the SEC Network.

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CBS Sports’ bubble watch looks in on Florida’s matchup with Auburn

Here’s what Palm has to say about Florida’s upcoming matchup.

Florida basketball gets set to host the Auburn Tigers in one of the best matchups on the college hoops slate on Saturday. The game is of the Quadrant 1 variety for both teams as the Gators seek to improve their chances of an NCAA Tournament invite.

Ahead of the game, CBS Sports’ Jerry Palm published his bracketology bubble watch for the relevant games that day, including the battle of the Orange and Blues. Currently riding the bubble on most major bracketologies, Todd Golden’s gang really needs to win this one on their home floor.

“The Gators had their four-game winning streak snapped at Texas A&M and have had a week off since then,” Palm begins. “Florida is just 1-7 against Quad 1 opposition and that will have to improve. Auburn gives the Gators a chance to add to that total.”

The Gators host Auburn inside the O’Connell Center on Saturday, Feb. 10. Tipoff is slated for 3:30 p.m. ET and the game will be broadcast on the SEC Network.

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Gators floating on The Athletic’s NCAA Tournament bubble

The Gators are on The Athletic’s bubble with the Auburn game staring them down on Saturday.

The NCAA Tournament is beginning to appear on the horizon over the current college basketball schedule. While there are still plenty of games left to play, the postseason picture is slowly but surely coming into view.

The Athletic’s Justin Williams was one of a few to release their tournament bubble watch articles, in which he surveys the country looking at which teams are in and those with work left to do. Among those teams mentioned are the Florida Gators, who landed in the “on the bubble” category, which is the third of three tiers.

The Alabama Crimson Tide and Tennessee Volunteers were listed as locks for the Big Dance, while the Kentucky Wildcats, Auburn Tigers and South Carolina Gamecocks are still projected to be in the final field. The Ole Miss Rebels, Mississippi State Bulldogs and Texas A&M Aggies join the Orange and Blue on the final level.

The Gators return home to host Auburn inside the O’Connell Center on Saturday, Feb. 10. Tipoff is slated for 3:30 p.m. ET and the game will be broadcast on the SEC Network.

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Where Florida basketball sits in ESPN’s tournament bubble watch

The Gators still have work to do to make it into the Big Dance but it is within reach.

The month of March is just a few weeks away and the NCAA Tournament brackets are starting to heat up in anticipation of this year’s edition of the Big Dance.

With conference tournaments scheduled to start in early-to-mid March, there is still plenty of basketball to be played but the postseason picture is slowly coming into focus. ESPN’s John Gasaway recently put together his bubble watch outlook, which included the Florida Gators and their Southeastern Conference peers.

According to Gasaway, the Orange and Blue are among four teams with “work to do” to get into the tournament.

“When you play nothing but extremely close games, any winning streak will be brief,” Gasaway begins. “Florida won overtime contests at home against Georgia and on the road at Kentucky only to come up short by one point at Texas A&M. Walter Clayton Jr. and Zyon Pullin each missed what might have been a game-winner in the final seconds.

“At 15-7, the Gators are being projected as a No. 11 seed, one that’s powered in part by the offensive rebounding of Tyrese Samuel.”

Todd Golden’s gang is joined by the Ole Miss Rebels, Mississippi State Bulldogs and Texas A&M Aggies in the category. The Tennessee Volunteers, Alabama Crimson Tide and Auburn Tigers were all listed as “locks” while the South Carolina Gamecocks and Kentucky Wildcats represent the schools that “should be in”.

The Gators return home to host Auburn inside the O’Connell Center on Saturday, Feb. 10. Tipoff is slated for 3:30 p.m. ET and the game will be broadcast on the SEC Network.

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Three-game losing streak has Florida on the edge of ESPN’s Bubble Watch

Florida is about to be kicked out of ESPN’s Bubble Watch after an ugly three-game losing streak.

After witnessing Florida’s loss to Vanderbilt on Saturday, experts at ESPN are losing confidence that the Gators men’s basketball team will be able to make the NCAA Tournament.

After knocking off then-No. 2 Tennessee on the first day of February, Florida has fallen to Kentucky, No. 3 Alabama and Vanderbilt, in that order. The Kentucky loss was close at times, but the Alabama one wasn’t. Even though Vanderbilt just beat Tennessee as well, it’s still a bad loss for [autotag]Todd Golden[/autotag] and Co.

With only six games left on the regular season schedule, UF has very few chances to earn another signature in Golden’s first year. Arkansas is a Tournament-caliber team and the rematch with Kentucky could help Florida’s case, but it could be hard for the Gators to make it to March Madness without a deep run in the SEC Tournament.

That’s why ESPN has Florida at the bottom of the “work to do” group in the SEC. There are better teams in the conference that would deserve a Tournament spot more than Florida if the season ended today.

“Since announcing their arrival on the bubble with a win at home over Tennessee, the Gators have gone 0-3. The final defeat in the series was the most surprising one, as Vanderbilt won its game at Florida by eight. Yes, one of UF’s losses came at Alabama and, yes, the Commodores were coming off their own win at home against the Volunteers.

“Nevertheless, this isn’t the trajectory the Gators expected for their next 120 minutes after bringing down the Vols. Florida is falling away from the bubble discussion and Todd Golden’s team has just two tournament-level opponents left on the schedule: Arkansas on the road and a home game against Kentucky.”

Sweeping the Razorbacks and Wildcats might get Florida back in the conversation, but the goal has to be to win out at this point. The team needs to play its best basketball of the season in the SEC Tournament, and maybe that will translate to a bracket spot and Tournament run.

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CBS Sports’ NCAA Tournament bubble watch ahead of UF vs UK

Jerry Palm gives his take ahead of the big game vs. Kentucky.

March Madness is nearly here as Florida basketball wraps up its regular-season schedule with a game against the top-10 Kentucky Wildcats. Not only is the game important for SEC Tournament seeding but also to help the Gators earn a ticket to the NCAA Tournament.

Among the most optimistic of Florida’s chances of making the final field of 68 schools is CBS Sports’ Jerry Palm, who currently has the Gators among his last four in ahead of the game. In his bubble watch update published on Saturday morning, he offered this assessment of UF’s status.

Florida is in contention for a spot in the NCAA Tournament in no small part because of a home win over Auburn. The Gators hung around for a half or so at Kentucky a few weeks ago, but they need to do better than that at home. Florida will likely need to do some work in the SEC Tournament regardless of this result, but how much will depend on that.

The game is scheduled to start at 2 p.m. EST inside the O’Connell Center in Gainesville, Florida. Then starting next Wednesday, the SEC Tournament begins and runs until Sunday.

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