Florida Gators basketball achieve a first in the 21st century ahead of their first-round NCAA Tournament matchup
The Gators are entering the NCAA Tournament in historic fashion.
The Florida Gators are trying to achieve rarified air by becoming the second team ever to win back-to-back National Championships twice, as they did so in both 2006 and 2007. Those teams, led by head coach Billy Donovan, had a loaded roster with multiple first-round picks, including Al Horford and Joakim Noah.
Todd Golden is trying to lead this Gators team to the same feat. Although they lost Walter Clayton Jr., Will Richard, and Alijah Martin to the NBA, they reloaded in the transfer portal with Boogie Fland and Xavian Lee.
Florida Gators achieve NCAA tournament first in 21st Century
The Gators earned a No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament for the second-consecutive season, for the first time in program history, and will tip off on Friday night against Prairie View A&M. It’s a major mismatch across the board, and the sportsbooks agree.
The matchup is the first time since Duke in 1999 that a team is a 35-point favorite in the NCAA Tournament, as the Gators are 35.5-point favorites on Friday night.
It shouldn’t be that much of a surprise that the Gators are that favored going into the first round. They finished the year with a mark of 26-7 after starting 4-5. They had one of the toughest non-conference schedules in the country, and were still finding themselves as a team with their two transfer guards. Once they got things going, they finished the year 22-3, including winning the SEC regular season by three games over both Alabama and Arkansas.
Ultimately, the Gators laid a dud against the Vanderbilt Commodores in the SEC Tournament and lost in the semifinals 91-74. It didn’t deter the committee from giving the Gators a top seed, especially after the UConn Huskies also lost in the Big East Tournament to the St. John’s Red Storm.
The path to winning their second-consecutive National Championship isn’t going to be an easy one, but they have everything needed to do so. All it will take is six wins, and they know how to get it done.
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