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Florida Gators Basketball: 4 reasons Florida will reach the Final Four

By Ryan Kately

NASHVILLE, TN - MARCH 11: Tre Mann #1 of the Florida Gators saves a ball from going out of bounds against the Vanderbilt Commodores during the second half of their second round game in the SEC Men's Basketball Tournament at Bridgestone Arena on March 11, 2021 in Nashville, Tennessee. Florida defeated Vanderbilt 69-63. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images)
NASHVILLE, TN - MARCH 11: Tre Mann #1 of the Florida Gators saves a ball from going out of bounds against the Vanderbilt Commodores during the second half of their second round game in the SEC Men's Basketball Tournament at Bridgestone Arena on March 11, 2021 in Nashville, Tennessee. Florida defeated Vanderbilt 69-63. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images) /
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FAYETTEVILLE, ARKANSAS – FEBRUARY 16: Players of the Florida Gators look at an official after a foul call during a game against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Bud Walton Arena on February 16, 2021 in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The Razorbacks defeated the Gators 75-64. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images) /

No. 2: A favorable draw in the bracket

Florida received the 7th seed in the South Region. Any other year, outside of Covid-19, that would be huge, meaning Florida would not have too far to travel. However, every game is being played in Indiana, so the regions do not factor in as much as they would any other year. Receiving the 7th seed means Florida avoids playing a number 1 seed if they make it to the 2nd round of the tournament. They will, however, have to play the 2nd seed barring a major upset in the first round. If they beat Virginia Tech, the Gators will likely get a matchup with 2nd seed Ohio St. I believe Ohio St. is the weakest 2nd seed in the tournament. They went on a run reaching the Big Ten Final, but they had to play four games, and two went into overtime. They’ll get a little rest before Friday, but that is a lot of minutes played during the weekend. An upset could be in the making in the 2nd round.

If the Gators can reach the Sweet 16, barring any upsets, they would see a familiar foe in number 3 seed Arkansas. I am not a big fan of seeing a conference opponent in the Sweet 16, but if the Gators make it to this point of the tournament, they would have nothing to lose. Arkansas is a great team and is very well-coached. The familiarity between conference foes playing each other in the tournament, I believe, favors the underdog. Both teams know each other’s game plans, and it could make for a closer game than when the two teams played on February 16, which saw Arkansas win 75-64.

The number 1 seed in Florida’s region is the Baylor Bears. Again, barring any upsets and the Gators making a run to the Elite Eight, this would be an exciting matchup to watch. Many believed in the middle of the season that Gonzaga and Baylor were the two best teams. Baylor is 22-2 and the number 1 seed for a reason, and it would be a significant upset to pull off to get to the Final Four. However, Baylor did lose in the Big XII Tournament to Oklahoma St. and struggled against a far inferior Kansas St. team. It is March, after all…

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