Gators Men’s Basketball Eyes a Top Seed for NCAA Tournament
The Florida Gators are making a strong case to repeat as NCAA tournament champions, potentially as a No. 1 seed again. Riding a 10-game winning streak, UF ranks No. 5 in the latest Associated Press Top 25 poll.
With only one game left in the regular season, Saturday at Kentucky, Florida (24-6, 15-2 SEC) has another opportunity to prove that it deserves to be one of four top seeds.
“I told the guys, we’re playing to become the best seed possible,” coach Todd Golden said. “If we take care of business and play really well, there’s not a seed out there that is unattainable for us.
Florida improved in its seeding, but just to a No. 2 seed, per ESPN’s Joe Lunardi’s 2026 NCAA Tournament Men’s Bracketology. Again, its likely opponents include a familiar face and some favorable matchups for the Gators.
Merrimack – No. 15 seed
This first-round matchup would be nothing short of ideal for the Gators.
Florida has seen the Warriors once already this season, and it was nothing short of an absolute smackdown from Golden’s squad. The Gators trounced Merrimack (21-10, 17-3) 80-45 on Nov. 21 at home. The startling part of the result is that Florida wasn’t nearly as good then as it is now.
Xaivian Lee, who has found his rhythm for Florida and recorded double-digit points in the last four outings, was held scoreless in the game. He will certainly look for revenge.
The Gators, the SEC regular-season champions and the top seed at next week’s league tournament, held the Warriors to 28.6% shooting from the field and an abysmal 16% from deep. They recorded just four second-chance points to Florida’s 22, and the mismatch on the boards was evident.
UF out-rebounded Merrimack 53-25, led by Rueben Chinyelu’s dominant 14-point, 21-rebound performance.
“I didn’t know really until I got off and they were like ‘Yeah, you got like over 20 boards,’ and it felt good,” Chinyelu said postgame. “That’s what we do.”
The Gators’ size advantage was evident, with the Warriors’ tallest forward standing at 6-foot-9 compared to Florida’s 7-1 Micah Handlogten.
Alex Condon also recorded a double-double with 20 points and 11 rebounds. With the size and experience advantage for the Gators, this is a tournament matchup Gator fans should salivate over.
UCLA – No. 10 seed
The Bruins (21-10, 12-7) match up with Florida better than Merrimack.
Size wise, UCLA is much closer to rivaling the Gators with junior center Xavier Booker standing at 6-foot-11. But still, the Gators have found far more success in the rebound battle this season. Florida averages 45.7 rebounds per game to UCLA’s 32.3.
However, UCLA is also more dangerous from beyond the arc, where it shoots 37.8% led by guard Skyy Clark, who’s shooting 46.5%.
The Bruins are led by senior forward Tyler Bilodeau, who averages 18 points and 5.8 rebounds per game while shooting 51.2%. But at 6-9, Florida’s size will pose a challenge for him, potentially the Gators’ biggest reason for optimism in this matchup.
The biggest threat to Florida is the Bruins’ experience against tough teams. Playing in the Big Ten, UCLA has seen countless ranked opponents this season.
While the Bruins have struggled to come out on top of many of those matchups, they have some impressive wins on their resume. The Bruins topped No. 15 Purdue earlier this season and, in their most recent victory, overcame No. 9 Nebraska 72-52 on Tuesday.
“This is the best we’ve played all year, and they brought out the best in us,” UCLA coach Mick Cronin said.
The Bruins’ ability to bring their best against the top teams in the country week after week means this is a matchup the Gators cannot write off.
Utah State – No. 7 seed
Like Florida, the Aggies (24-6, 14-5) sit atop their conference. Utah State ranks first in the Mountain West conference and shoots an impressive 50.1% from the field, an efficiency that outdoes the Gators.
However, the Aggies struggle to rebound, something the Gators will surely take advantage of. They have been outrebounded in their last six outings by teams that do not usually dominate the rebound margin as much as UF. Florida’s success on the glass is by far its biggest leg up on the Aggies.
While Florida has six, Utah State has just two players consistently scoring in double figures. Guards MJ Collins Jr. and Mason Falslev make up most of the Aggies’ offensive production, averaging 17.3 and 16 points, respectively.
Falslev also leads the team in rebounds as a guard, averaging 5.8 per outing. For comparison, Chinyelu leads Florida with 11.8 rebounds per outing. Juniors Alex Condon and Thomas Haugh also average above Falslev’s mark, pointing to the Gators’ likely dominance on the boards if the two teams were to meet in the postseason.
Utah State’s schedule has not been nearly as tough as Florida’s. The Aggies have not seen a ranked opponent all season and, playing in the Mountain West, do not routinely face the type of competition the Gators see in the SEC. Numbers aside, Utah’s lack of experience against premier teams will be a true test for it in the postseason.
The Gators close the regular season Saturday at Kentucky’s Rupp Arena. UF defeated the Wildcats (19-11, 10-7) in Gainesville, 92-83, on Feb. 14. Coverage begins on 103.7-FM at 3:30 p.m. and at 4 p.m. on ESPN.
Category: Basketball, College Basketball, Feature Sports News, Gators Men's Basketball
