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The Florida Gators find themselves in the mix for the 2019 NCAA Tournament, but it seems they had work left to do entering the SEC tournament. Fortunately, Florida was able to advance to the quarterfinals with a crucial win over the Arkansas Razorbacks, where they met the LSU Tigers next.
While LSU is already bound for the tournament, the game could prove to be a big one for Florida. Bracketologists have been somewhat split on the overall outlook of the Gators at this point, as they sit at 18-14 with a 9-9 conference record. We’re going to evaluate their march madness chances and bracketology breakdown both with a win and a loss to the Tigers.
Latest Bracketology for Florida Gators
At this moment, ESPN’s Joe Lunardi pegged seven teams from the SEC making the dance. The good news is that he has Florida among the “last four in,” a group which includes the NC State Wolfpack, TCU Horned Frogs and Belmont Bruins prior to Friday’s action.
Following the win over Arkansas, ESPN’s John Gasaway pointed to the Gators likely needing to do more to cement their tournament bid.
A Quad 2 win against Mike Anderson’s group doesn’t put much if any distance between the Gators and danger and, in fact, a bid thief or two could eliminate that breathing space entirely. The NET ranking in the 30s is going to serve this team well, but, at 18-14, Mike White’s men will definitely want to keep going, starting with the quarterfinal against LSU.
A similar outlook was provided by Jerry Palm of CBS Sports, who gave Florida a No. 12 seed but marked them as one of the last four teams in the bracket as well. There’s work to be done for the Gators, but even with a loss to the Tigers, it won’t completely derail their chances.
Florida’s NCAA Tournament Chances With Win/Loss vs. LSU
If the Gators fall to LSU, it likely leaves them exactly where they currently stand. They’d be one of the last teams in and likely need to avoid an underdog or two pulling off upsets and winning their conference tournament. The downfall for Florida is the 18-14 record, but a handful of their victories are likely enough to place them above other bubble teams.
One big positive for this team is that aside from a slip-up against the Georgia Bulldogs, each of Florida’s losses are “good” losses (or passable ones). The downside is that there was quite a few of them and not enough statement-making wins in the process.
As far as the outlook with a win over LSU, you’d be hard-pressed to find an argument that it doesn’t lock them into the field. The Tigers enter this game with a 26-5 record and are the No. 9 team in the country. This type of win immediately bolsters Florida’s resume even more and has to impress the selection committee.
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Florida Bracketology: March Madness Outlook & Impact of LSU Game