The college basketball season is still 74 days away from tipping off, but CBS Sports is already looking ahead to the NCAA Tournament field in March. According to Jerry Palm’s latest bracketology update, the Gators are projected to finish the regular season as a 10-seed in the Midwest Region.
That draw puts them against No. 7 seed Virginia with a likely matchup against Kansas in the second round. Of course, Florida hasn’t played a game under Todd Golden. Last year’s club didn’t even make the Tournament, but the addition of a few transfers and a new game plan should help the team bounce back under a new head coach.
Conference play will be tough. The SEC has grown into a formidable force in the world of college basketball, and Palm projects several teams in the conference to claim high seeds in March. He has Kentucky finished as the top seed in the South, and Arkansas and Tennessee are both expected to finish as No. 3 seeds. Auburn is a 5 seed, Texas A&M is a 6 seed and Alabama is a 7 seed to round out the group.
Gonzaga, Houston and North Carolina are the other preseason No. 1 seeds, but these lists change drastically throughout the year. However, they are usually a good measure of how a team is expected to perform, and finishing as a 10-seed is better than losing the tournament entirely, like Florida did last year.
Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.
Let us know your thoughts and comments on this story below. Join the conversation today!
