ESPN bracketology expert Joe Lunardi believes that [autotag]Todd Golden[/autotag] will assemble an NCAA Tournament-caliber roster at Florida for a second-straight season, but he can’t quite settle on a seed for the Gators as the offseason continues.
After starting off as a No. 6 seed in Lunardi’s way-too-early bracket and holding on to that projection through the first update, Florida dropped to a No. 7 seed in the mid-May update and again to a No. 9 seed heading into June.
In his latest update, published on June 18, Lunardi has Florida up to a No. 8 seed, playing No. 9 Wake Forest in the West (San Francisco) Region.
A betting man wouldn’t put a nickel down on that matchup coming to fruition, but it’s clear what Florida’s expectations are in 2024-25, assuming a healthy summer and fall.
The Gators are a middle-of-the-pack NCAA Tournament team, which is better than the national impression of the program when Golden took over for Mike White — Georgia is notably one of six SEC teams not projected by Lunardi to make the Big Dance.
Where does the rest of the SEC stand?
The conference boasts 10 projected playoff teams, beating out the Big 12 and Big 12 with nine apiece. Alabama leads the way as the projected No. 1 seed in the South (Atlanta) Region, but Auburn is a threat to overtake its in-state rival as a No. 2 in the Midwest (Indianapolis) Region.
SEC-newcomer Texas should immediately establish itself as a conference power on the hardwood. Lunardi has the Longhorns as a No. 4 seed in the West and the Tennessee Volunteers in the same spot in the East (Newark) Region.
Arkansas is a No. 5 seed (Midwest), while Kentucky, Mississippi State and Texas A&M occupy three of the four No. 6 seeds. Ole Miss is the No. 7 seed in the East, rounding out the projected Field of 64 teams in the conference.
Lunardi also included Missouri and Vanderbilt in his First Four Out. Expect them to be “on the bubble” for much of the regular season.
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