After Florida dismantled Ole Miss on the road, the Gators are now just two wins away this upcoming week from wrapping up their first SEC regular-season title since 2014. Â But Florida has dreams larger than winning the SEC as they push for back-to-back national titles and have been on a hot streak that will make them one of the contenders to win it all during March Madness.
But despite winning 12 out of its last 13 games, Florida’s inability to get a marquee win in the non-conference still has the Gators looking up in terms of ideal seeding for the NCAA Tournament.
Florida is a No. 3 seed in the Bracket Preview
The NCAA released its selection committee bracket preview, where they seed teams one through sixteen, and if March Madness were to start today, the Gators would be the 9th-ranked team in the tournament and would be a No. 3 seed.
It’s a continuation of the uphill climb in the polls Florida has had since starting SEC play. As recent as Week 9 in the AP Top 25, the Gators were unranked following their loss to Missouri to open SEC play, and it has been a slow climb back to try to get into the top ten.Â
In terms of the first and second rounds, being a No. 3 seed versus a No. 2 seed is primarily semantics. Facing off against a potential No. 14 and No. 6 seed versus a No. 15 and  No. 7 seed wouldn’t be that much of a difference.
The one spot where moving up to a No. 2 seed could have an impact is with the Sweet 16. As of now, the potential No. 2 seeds in the eyes of the selection committee are UConn, Houston, Illinois, and Purdue. The current No. 3 seeds, in addition to Florida, are Kansas, Nebraska, and Gonzaga.
Todd Golden would never admit it, but if given the choice between those teams listed as a No. 2 seed and a No. 3 seed, the No. 3 seed teams would be the clear choice.
First things first, though, Florida has Texas and Arkansas this week. Win both of those, and Florida secures the regular-season title in the SEC.