Florida Basketball will be the agent of chaos in the NCAA Tournament
As the seconds ticked down and Florida Basketball secured an 18-point victory over Alabama, praise from around the country rained down on the Gators. It was the third top-20 victory for the Gators, and if things go right, Florida can go deep into the NCAA Tournament.
But given their yo-yo nature where no lead every feels like it is actually safe, Florida could also go home in the first round of the tournament.
It's why when filing out brackets the Gators will be the ultimate agent of chaos.
Florida Basketball: Bracket Busters
Florida is now 21-9 on the season and ESPN's latest Bracketology has the Gators as a six seed in the NCAA Tournament. It has been quite the ascent for a team that was considered on the outside looking in back in January.
If the six seed holds for Florida, the potential 11 seeds and subsequent three seeds they might face in regionals are all teams they would feel capable of beating. But while last night's second half dominance is an example of what the Gators can do at their best, one of those potential three seeds is a reminder of what has been the Achillies heel for Florida all season.
Against Baylor, currently a projected three seed, Florida was tied with 10:15 to play in the game. Four minutes later it was an eight point lead for the Bears that Florida was never able to claw back.
As the season played out, Florida would go on to allow similar second half runs against Kentucky, Georgia, LSU, Texas A&M, Alabama, and South Carolina.
Four times this season the Gators have lost while holding a ten point lead in the second half.
Walter Clayton mentioned after the game how the Gators were tired of blowing leads and were determined not to let this one slip away.
If Florida can keep that mindset throughout March and prove that last night's second half wasn't just an aberration, there is nothing stopping this team from a potential trip to the Final Four.
Welcome to March and good luck deciding on how far to advance the Gators in you bracket.