The chances for Florida basketball repeating as national champions didn’t look promising in early December.
From a 5-4 start, the No. 4 Florida Gators (26-7) have won 21 of their last 24 games, earning an SEC regular season title and the No. 1 seed in the South Region of the Men’s NCAA Tournament.
UF failed to repeat as SEC Tournament champion, as the Gators were upset by Vanderbilt, 91-74, in the conference tournament semifinals. But a larger prize awaits. Florida will get the benefit of opening tournament play in its home state, The Gators will open Friday at Benchmark International Arena in Tampa, facing the winner of the First Four game between No. 16 seeds Lehigh and Prairie View A&M.
“We’re going to definitely learn from it,” Florida basketball coach Todd Golden said of the Vanderbilt loss. “We’re gonna use it to our advantage for sure.’”
Here are how some college basketball experts believe Florida will fare in March Madness:
Dortch is high on Florida’s potential and isn’t scared off about how the Gators performed in the SEC Tournament.
“I don’t think that Vanderbilt game means all that much,” Dortch said. “I mean it was a surprising result, sure, but it was one of those days where everything they tossed up went in. You know, Duke Miles and Tyler Tanner are a tough little backcourt to handle.”
Dortch said Florida has proven it can overcome inconsistent perimeter shooting (30.8% from 3-point range) in other areas.
“If you look at their strengths and how they get things done, I mean, defensively and offensively their frontline is just so formidable,” Dortch said. “I think when you get into the NCAA Tournament, everybody wants to play fast, and some do during the regular season, but when you get into the Big Dance the games slow down, you know, heartrates increase and pressure builds.
“I think Florida is still equipped to handle that because they can go inside, they can defend the post and they can go get their rebounds, I mean, they’re second only to Tennessee in offensive rebounding in the country.”
Dortch said UF’s starting backcourt of Boogie Fland and Xaivian Lee will need to play well, but he doesn’t foresee any problems for the Gators to reach the Sweet 16. In his bracket, he predicts Florida will square off with Vanderbilt again in the Sweet 16.
“I think they will be better prepared for them the second time around, in March, anyway,” Dortch said. “And then it’s either Illinois or Houston. Even though Houston is more highly regarded and been more consistent this season, they are not nearly as big as Florida. I wouldn’t be that worried about Houston from a physically standpoint, that’s their stock and trade but Florida can dish that out with the best of them.
“Illinois has been on again, off again but they are a formable offensive team. In my bracket, I’ve got Florida back in the Final Four.”
Appearing on the Gainesville Sun’s Swampcast, DeCourcy says Florida has a chance to repeat as national champions because the Gators are one of the few elite teams in the field entering the tournament fully healthy.
“That’s a good thing right now,” DeCourcy said. “That’s a rare thing right now. It’s amazing, looking at this bracket and saying that team’s got an injury, that team’s got an injury,”
DeCourcy pointed to Duke (guard Caleb Foster), Michigan (guard LJ Cason), Texas Tech (forward JT Toppin) and North Carolina (forward Caleb Wilson) as teams coming into the tournament with marquee players unavailable.
“So many significant players that will be as much spectators to this March Madness as we will, and I’m sure much more frustrated than all of us,” DeCourcy said.
DeCourcy has Florida losing in the Elite Eight to Houston in his bracket.
“For me it was just matchup,” DeCourcy said. “If the number two seed in the Florida region happened to be UConn or Purdue or Iowa State, I would have picked the Gators, without a doubt, and I’m not saying they can’t beat Houston.
“I just looked at it and said, that’s a team that’s set up to beat this Gators team. They don’t have the frontcourt ability Florida has, but they have the frontcourt that can cope with Florida’s frontcourt ability and then they have a significant advantage in their best guard, Kingston Flemings, a freshman who will be among the top six or seven players taken in the NBA Draft.”
DeCourcy praised Florida basketball’s frontcourt, citing the improvement of All-American forward Thomas Haugh and center Rueben Chinyelu from a season ago.
“Those guys are fantastic,” DeCourcy said. “What’s impressive about them individually as how much they improved from being champions to being potential champions.”
Vitale picked Florida basketball to repeat as national champion in his bracket. Vitale, who called Florida wins over Alabama (100-77 on Feb. 1) and Kentucky (84-77 on March 7 at Rupp Arena) for ABC, said Florida’s frontcourt is elite and its backcourt has improved enough to handle the pressure of March Madness.
“Playing in the pressure cooker of the SEC is a major plus in preparing for the challenge to join Billy Donovan as Florida coaches who went back-to-back,” Vitale said.
Krzyzewski knows a thing or two about repeating as national champion, as Coach K led Duke to five national titles, including back-to-back titles in 1991 and 1992.
Appearing on the Pat McAfee show on ESPN this week, Krzyzewski said Florida has “a real chance” to go back-to-back.
“Todd Golden is a helluva coach and one of the key things is they have their four big players, the big guys, back from last year,” Krzyzewski said. “Those guys have been on this run before. And their two guards (Boogie) Fland and Xaivian Lee, early in the year were learning to be at that level. They now know to be at that level.”
Krzyzewski eyes a potential national title game rematch between Florida and Houston in the Elite Eight.
“It will be a man’s game,” Krzyzewski said.
Kevin Brockway is The Gainesville Sun’s Florida beat writer. Contact him at kbrockway@gannett.com. Follow him on X @KevinBrockwayG1. Read his coverage of the Gators’ national championship basketball season in “CHOMP-IONS!” — a hardcover coffee-table collector’s book from The Sun. Details at Florida.ChampsBook.com
