Seed Watch: Florida Gators Basketball (Feb. 2)
Florida's 88-71 victory over then-No. 9 West Virginia wasn't just huge for team morale moving forward - it was also important for resume purposes.
After falling on the road in a tight one last Tuesday night 60-59 to Vanderbilt, the Gators earned a signature victory for first-year head coach Mike White and are now on the uptick. The group shot 53.1% (12-of-20, or 60%, from three-point range) against what was considered the top defense in the country in what the Mountaineers have to offer. After the game, WVU head coach Bob Huggins quipped, "The way it was going in, I was surprised Mike didn’t hit one."
But with the win, Florida (14-7, 5-3 SEC) finds itself in good standing in the NCAA Tournament conversation. Looking at UF's resume, it has four wins against top-100 RPI teams, while six of its seven losses have come against squads in the top 100 in RPI. Four of those defeats were by six points or fewer.
The victory over West Virginia was UF's first against a top-25 opponent, so the Gators got over the hump in that regard.
Currently, ESPN's Joe Lunardi has UF as a No. 8 seed in the latest version of his Bracketology, facing No. 9 seed VCU in the East bracket. In the Feb. 1 edition of CBS Sports' Jerry Palm's Bracketology, he has Florida projected as a No. 10 seed squaring off against 7th-seeded Pittsburgh in the East bracket.
In Ken Pomeroy's advanced statistics rankings, Florida sits at No. 22 overall. The Gators are currently 21st in the nation in RPI and ranked eighth in strength of schedule.
Now, ITG takes a closer look at UF's resume and what lies ahead:
WINS (14 overall, 5 SEC)
(14 in RPI) Win vs. West Virginia – 88-71
(29) Win vs. Saint Joseph's – 74-63
(75) Win vs. Georgia 77-63
(81) Win vs. LSU – 68-62
(101) Win at Ole Miss – 80-71
(108) Win vs. Auburn – 95-63
(113) Win vs. Richmond – 76-56
(133) Win vs. Oklahoma State – 72-70
(160) Win vs. Vermont – 86-62
(162) Win vs. Mississippi State – 81-78
(167) Win at Navy – 59-41
(229) Win vs. FGCU – 70-50
(250) Win vs. Jacksonville – 89-65
(341) Win vs. North Carolina A&T – 104-54
THESE WINS WILL HELP
Nov. 21 - Florida’s 74-63 win against Saint Joseph’s at the Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament
Jan. 30 - Florida’s 88-71 home victory over then-No. 9 West Virginia
LOSSES (7 overall, 3 SEC)
(12) Loss at Texas A&M - 71-68
(17) Loss at Miami - 66-55
(21) Loss at Michigan State - 58-52
(25) Loss vs. Purdue - 85-70
(40) Loss vs. Florida State 73-71
(61) Loss at Vanderbilt - 60-59
(124) Loss at Tennessee - 83-69
THESE LOSSES WILL HURT
Nov. 22 - Florida's 85-70 loss to then-No. 21 Purdue at the Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament
Jan. 6 - Florida's 83-69 road loss to unranked Tennessee
RECORDS
Home: 10-1
Road: 2-5
Neutral: 2-1
vs. RPI 1-50: 2-5
vs. RPI 51-100: 2-1
vs. RPI 101-150: 4-1
vs. RPI 151-200: 3-0
vs. RPI 200+: 3-0
REMAINING REGULAR SEASON SCHEDULE
(19) at Kentucky (Feb. 6)
(19) vs. Kentucky (March 1)
(28) at South Carolina (Feb. 20)
(53) vs. Alabama (Feb. 13)
(61) vs. Vanderbilt (Feb. 23)
(75) at Georgia (Feb. 16)
(81) at LSU (Feb. 27)
(88) vs. Arkansas (Feb. 3)
(101) vs. Ole Miss (Feb. 9)
(187) at Missouri (March 5)