Following an eventful week for Florida Basketball, ESPN's lead bracketologist Joe Lunardi has updated his bracketology projections. You can view the full 68-team bracket here.
RIght on the brink
Following an extremely productive week, the Gators find themselves ranked fifth overall in the projection, tied for their highest mark of the season so far. ESPN's Joe Lunardi deemed Florida worthy of the lofty position after the Gators handled an impressive Vanderbilt team, before overtaking the crown win of the season, as the Gators snapped Auburn's fourteen-game win streak on the road.
The results added a quadrant two and a quadrant one "A" win to Florida's already historical resume. The wins also helped the Gators notice a significant boost in the metrics department, which is frequently utilized by the NCAA Selection Committee to seed teams. The committee will meet and convene this week before revealing the current top-four seed lines on February 15th (considering results through February 14th).
Florida's projection of fifth overall lands them just one ranking from a one-seed, which is currently headlined by Auburn, Alabama, Duke, and Tennessee, in that respective order. The Gators are in firm competition for one-seed positioning, and may be in position to break through with a win against Mississippi State later tonight.
A look at the bracket
In Lunardi's bracket, the Gators would face the fifteenth-seeded Tigers of Towson, representing the Colonial Athletic Association's automatic bid, in their opening-round matchup. Towson has continued to exceed preseason expectations, currently holding first place in the CAA. The Tigers have surged of late, winning an impressive ten games in a row.
Despite their recent success, Towson proves to be a more desirable first-round matchup. In their only game against a team from a power conference, the Tigers fell by a whopping 26 points to Lamont Paris and the South Carolina Gamecocks, who have yet to muster a win in conference play.
The winner of the opening round would then advance and play the winner of seventh-seeded Louisville and tenth-seeded Texas, presenting an undesirable path to the Sweet 16.
Though the Gators have already defeated the Longhorns, Rodney Terry and his team have proven their ability to defeat some of the nation's best, despite their ongoing struggles. Since Florida's blowout win over Texas, the Longhorns have picked up impressive wins over Missouri, Texas A&M, and LSU.
Likewise, Louisville has displayed their top-tier talent, bullying their way through a weak ACC conference. The Cardinals have defeated North Carolina, Clemson, and SMU, most notably. Potential Coach of the Year candidate Pat Kelsey has propelled his team to heights the program hasn't seen in years.
The next week
The upcoming week is set to one of most importance in terms of Florida's seeding. The Gators will look to add another resume-boosting win against Mississippi State, who remains formidable but have struggled as of late. The Bulldogs present a quadrant one opportunity for the Gators.
On Saturday, the Gators will return to the O'Connell Center and hope to avoid a resume-killing loss against the South Carolina Gamecocks. As noted previously, the Gamecocks have yet to record a conference win, but have shown to be a true test to many. It took a last-second Will Richard basket for the Gators to leave Columbia with a win earlier in the season. South Carolina presents a quadrant three opportunity for the Gators.