Florida basketball made an inspired run to the SEC Tournament Finals last season, playing four games in four days before falling to tournament champion Auburn 86-67. Afterwards, both the
Florida Gators and Auburn were bounced in their first NCAA Tournament games, with No. 7 seed UF losing 102-100 to Colorado and No. 4 seed Auburn falling 78-76 to No. 13 seed Yale in a first-round upset. Which begs to question, does staying longer in the SEC Tournament help or hurt a team going into March Madness?
Florida basketball coach Todd Golden, ever the analytics mind, had his staff research on the topic. "The data tells you that it really doesn't matter," Golden said. "It doesn't matter enough. Using Auburn as an example, just because their program we all know very well. Last year, they won the championship and lose in the first round. I want to say 2019 they also won the SEC championship and went to the Final Four. It can go either way." If No. 4 Florida (27-4, 14-4 SEC) doesn't win the SEC Tournament, it won't be catastrophic. Seven of the last 10 NCAA Tournament champions didn't win their conference tournament title, with the exceptions being UConn in 2024, Kansas in 2022 and Villanova in 2017. On the flip side, Florida's last three SEC Tournament championship teams have at least made a Final Four. UF's 2014 SEC title-winning team reached the Final Four before falling to eventual national champion UConn, while its 2006 and 2007 SEC Tournament-winning teams won back-to-back national championships. "Our players are really, really motivated to play well in Nashville," Golden said. "I think with some of the all-league teams landing where they did, it provided some really good motivation for our guys to go to Nashville and make a statement." Florida will need to win at least one game in Nashville to feel good about securing a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament on Selection Sunday, or maybe two if it gets a rematch with SEC Tournament three-seed Alabama in the SEC Tournament semifinals. UF point guard Walter Clayton Jr.,
who earned Sporting News All-American honors on Wednesday , said he doesn't care if Florida gets a No. 1 seed or not. “Whatever path, I like my guys," Clayton said. "Me and my guys against whoever.”
Florida basketball's depth could play a factor if it plays three games in three days
The Gators are five deep in the frontcourt and possibly five deep in the backcourt, if junior forward Sam Alexis can return from an ankle injury this week. "He missed practice yesterday," Todd Golden said. "I’m hopeful we’ll have him. He looked a lot better today. We’ll kind of see how these next 48 hours go before the game to see, for sure.” Lately, Golden has used a nine-player rotation with Denzel Aberdeen and Urban Klavzar coming in off the bench in the backcourt and Thomas Haugh and Micah Handlogten coming in off the bench in the frontcourt. That depth could serve as an advantage for UF, especially if a lower-seed opponent from the opposite bracket makes a surprise run to the SEC Tournament finals and is playing its fourth game in four days. Florida will come in the fresher team playing three games in three days if it makes the finals. "We have the deepest team in America," Golden said. "So being able to play nine or 10 guys comfortably, and the great thing about our rotation right now is when certain guys come out and other guys go in, there's not much of a drop off at all. I think having nine or 10 guys, especially when you have the opportunity to play three games in three days, it's really important."
The bracket sets up well for Florida basketball
Yes, Florida could get a rematch with a No. 7 seed Missouri team that handed UF its lone home loss of the season, beating the Gators 83-82 at the O'Connell Center. But Missouri has struggled of late, losing four of their last five to close the regular season. Florida could also get rematches with 10-seed Mississippi State or 15-seed LSU, two teams it beat during the regular season. “We're preparing for Missouri," Golden said. "Obviously, we have scouts in place for Mississippi State and LSU. We've played those teams relatively recently, but Missouri, we lost to them. I think they're a very good team and we're going to do our prep for them." More importantly, both Tennessee and Kentucky are on the opposite side of the bracket, two teams that will bring the largest fanbases to Bridgestone Arena. So UF won't face a road-face like environment until the finals and may not face a road-like environment at all if the Wildcats or Volunteers don't reach the finals.
Florida basketball is motivated by SEC postseason award snubs
Clayton and forward Alex Condon earned All-SEC first- and second-team recognition by the coaches and various media outlets this week. But Haugh lost out to Missouri guard Caleb Grill for SEC Sixth Man of the Year honors, while Golden felt Rueben Chinyelu and Alijah Martin were both deserving of being on the All-SEC defensive team. "Alijah and Will (Richard) not making any of the all-league teams and then Alijah and Rueben not getting on all-defense, I think those are things that our team will definitely use as motivation going into this weekend," Golden said. "That's how we feel about it.” Golden also lost out to Auburn's Bruce Pearl, one of his mentors, for SEC coach of the year honors. “Definitely a little surprised," Clayton said. "Don’t want to say too much, but a little surprised, let’s say that.”
