As the brackets were released on Selection Sunday and Florida Basketball wasn't boosted or rewarded for winning the SEC Tournament, there was some annoyance from Gator Nation as Florida got sent to San Francisco rather than Atlanta.
But after taking a deep breath and looking at the pathway Florida has to San Antonio, it's not just fandom that leads one to pick the Gators to cut down the nets.
Florida Basketball: March Through March
If you go round by round through Florida's pathway, no matchups will cause the Gators to shake in their boots.
Their opening contest against Norfolk State has little to worry about as the Spartans can't shoot the three and are 347th in the country in defensive rebounding percentage, so even if the shots aren't falling for Florida, the Gators should get second-chance points.
Florida will face the winner of Oklahoma versus UConn. Florida has already beaten the Sooners by 22 points this season. UConn will get attention because they are the two-time defending national champs, but the Huskies in 2025 are abysmal at defending the three and commit fouls at one of the highest rates in the country. If Florida can just make their open shots, they will be fine.
If chalk holds, Florida plays the winner of Memphis and Maryland. Memphis loves to play at warp speed, which the Gators have proven they can handle. Memphis also can't rebound, so there will be second-chance points.
Maryland is the one team that seems to have answers for Florida. The Terrapins play at the exact same pace as the Gators, shoot the three well, and don't turn the ball over. The one area Florida will have a definitive advantage is that Maryland only has two big men they actually use and if Florida can get either in foul trouble then Maryland will quickly run out of size.
The third seed in the West Region is Texas Tech. The Red Raiders play a slower style that relies on them shooting threes. Forward JT Toppin can cause problems, but beyond Federiko Federiko (that's not a typo), the next tallest player Texas Tech actually uses is 6'6".
The two seed is St. John's, and if they make it to the Elite Eight, they will obviously be flying high. The Red Storm play uptempo and create a ton of turnovers and blocked shots. They have also lost to Georgia this year, and they don't actually shoot the ball that well.
If Florida makes it to San Antonio, the Gators would get slotted to face the South Region winner, which is where Auburn and Michigan State are. Florida already beat Auburn, and Michigan State can't shoot threes and would be forced to go inside.
In a potential championship game, Florida could see Duke and to be fair, the Blue Devils do match up with Florida in a number of key areas. But when you drill down on Duke's roster, Cooper Flagg is the third largest player they actually use, and if Florida could get either center for Duke into foul trouble, the Gators would quickly have the size advantage.
So no, it is not just being a homer if you pick the Gators to win it all during March Madness. Sitting at +390, Florida has the second-best odds of anyone besides Duke to win it all in San Antonio.
Choose wisely; just make sure you choose the Gators.