Gators a 6-seed in ESPN bracketology pre Alabama

Just two games remain for Florida basketball on its regular-season schedule — then the real fun begins!

Thanks to a second-half surge that has the Gators cracking the top 25 in both major polls as well as firmly in the NCAA Tournament discussion, Todd Golden’s team has some bright horizons ahead of it this month. But there is still some work left to do.

Nonetheless, the Orange and Blue remained a No. 6 seed in Joe Lunardi’s latest bracketology update for ESPN, but this week have shifted from the South Region to the West Region. Florida is projected to play either the No. 11 New Mexico Lobos or the Wake Forest Demon Deacons — who beat the Gators earlier this season in Winston-Salem — in Memphis, Tennessee for the first round.

Golden’s gang is also joined by the No. 3 Creighton Bluejays and the No. 14 High Point Purple Panthers in the sub-bracket.

Looking at the rest of the SEC, the Tennessee Volunteers are a No. 2 seed in the South, followed by the No. 4 Kentucky Wildcats (Midwest), No. 4 Alabama Crimson Tide (East), No. 5 Auburn Tigers (South), No. 6 South Carolina Gamecocks (East) and No. 9 Mississippi State Bulldogs (Midwest) are among those projected to be in the tournament.

The Gators return home for a rematch against Alabama on Tuesday, March 5, inside the O’Connell Center. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. ET and the game will be broadcast on ESPN.

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