Just don't lose to Georgia and all should be fine for Florida Basketball
The SEC Tournament is underway and after getting to rest last night with a bye, Florida Basketball will take the court tonight at 9:30 to take on the Georgia Bulldogs.
Florida doesn't necessarily need a win the secure its place in the NCAA Tournament, but following their loss against Vanderbilt it would certainly help to stabilize its seeding and make their side of the bracket just a wee bit easier.
Florida Basketball: We Meet Again
We highlighted earlier in the week that it would not be in the Gators' best interest to make a deep run in Nashville. Of the last 14 Power Six teams that played four games in their respective conference tournaments, only two went on to make at least the Elite Eight.
The last five teams to play four games during their conference tournament all got bounced in the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament (not counting Texas A&M who got sent to the NIT).
But while we may not want to see the Gators advance to the finals on Sunday because of concerns over fatigue, they also don't need to be losing to hapless Georgia tonight.
The Bulldogs are 17-15 on the season as the Mike White Experience hasn't quite lived up to expectations of Georgia fans even if Florida could have seen this coming from a mile away. Florida has beat Georgia twice this season, though each had their own fair share of adventure.
In the first match-up, Florida had a late double digit lead before blowing it and having to survive in overtime, which is par for the course for Todd Golden and crew.
In the second match-up, it was Georgia that shot out to an early lead before Florida clamped down on defense and were able to win with far less theatrics.
Joe Lunardi of ESPN has Florida projected as a seven seed for the NCAA Tournament. A win tonight won't move the needle forward, but a loss certainly pushes the needle back into eight or nine seed territory, funneling the Gators into a one seed in order to make it to the Sweet 16.
Survive and advance is the mantra of March. It doesn't matter how Florida gets it done tonight, they just need to get it done.