How far does Florida basketball fall in the latest 2022 bracketology?
The 2021-22 season is still several months from tipping off, but its never too early for ESPNs resident postseason expert, Joe Lunardi, to try his hand at predicting the seeding for the next NCAA Tournament. Though Florida has entered the last two years with quite a bit of hype, those expectations seem to have tapered heading into next season. The Gators lost six players between the NBA draft and the transfer portal, and coach Mike White had to hit the portal himself to restock the talent on the team. UF has a talented roster assembled, but its a patchwork that will certainly have a learning curve. For that reason, Lunardi expects Florida will limp into the NCAA Tournament once again, securing the No. 9 seed in the South Region and drawing a matchup against eighth-seeded Memphis in the first round. Should the Gators survive that, they would face top-seeded Michigan in the Round of 32. UF could potentially face rival Florida State, the No. 5 seed, in the Sweet 16 and sixth-seeded Auburn in the Elite Eight. Other SEC teams in the field are No. 2 Kentucky, No. 4 Alabama, No. 4 Tennessee, No. 4 Arkansas and No. 8 LSU. Mississippi State finds itself among the first four out. Coming off a year in which they were stunningly eliminated by 15th-seeded Oral Roberts in the Round of 32, it seems the national media is a bit skeptical of the Gators, and for good reason.