Dropping a crushing home loss to Missouri on a last-second layup may not have impacted the Gators very much in the updated NET rankings (they fell just one spot), but according to ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi, it cost them a seed line.
In his latest bracketology update, Florida fell from its previously projected No. 7 seed to a No. 8 seed. The Tigers, meanwhile, ended a big-time slump with a gutsy Quadrant 1 win, and they’ve now moved up from a No. 9 to a No. 8 seed.
He has UF drawing nine-seeded UConn in the first round. Now, a victory in that matchup would set up a likely Round of 32 game against top-seeded Illinois, who is one of the hottest teams in the country at the moment.
Should the Gators survive the Illini, they have two potential Elite Eight rematches. Alabama is the No. 2 seed in the region, and Florida State is the No. 3 seed. Other SEC foes in this projected field are No. 3 Arkansas, No. 7 Tennessee and No. 9 LSU. Ole Miss now appears on the bubble, but it has a lot of work to do to make the tournament as an at-large. Currently, it appears as the last team in the Next Four Out, so the Rebels likely need a deep SEC Tournament run to even compete.
Before Wednesday’s loss, Florida was projected by some outlets as high as a No. 6 seed. Now, its momentum has been interrupted. With a Quadrant 1 road game against Tennessee on Sunday to close out the regular season plus the conference tournament, UF still has chances to boost its resume.
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