College basketball’s spring transfer portal period is over, and the deadline for players to withdraw from the NBA draft and return to school has passed, bringing clarity to what the upcoming season’s rosters will look like.
One of the biggest winners of the offseason is the Florida Gators, who not only kept their formidable frontcourt of Thomas Haugh, Alex Condon and Rueben Chinyelu fully intact, but also managed to retain other key members of their roster from last season — which also includes contributors from the 2025 national championship team. While Todd Golden and Co. still await a decision on transfer Denzel Aberdeen’s fate, the Orange and Blue are fully loaded for a run at the Final Four.
Unsurprisingly, Florida remains the top overall seed and the No. 1 seed in the East Region, according to ESPN hoops guru Joe Lunardi in his latest bracketology update. The most recent projections now have the Gators matched up with two projected No. 16 seeds — the Howard Bison and Tennessee State Tigers — in the first round held in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Florida’s 2026-27 campaign tips off Monday, Nov. 2, against the Miami Hurricanes in the Orion180 Tip-Off Classic at Benchmark International Arena in Tampa.
Top seeds in ESPN’s 2027 bracketology
Once again, Florida holds both the top overall seed as well as the No. 1 spot in the East, while the reigning national champion Michigan Wolverines remain the No. 1 seed in the Midwest, the Duke Blue Devils still sit atop the South and the Illinois Illini hold the top seed in the West.
SEC schools in ESPN’s 2027 bracketology
The Southeastern Conference held on to its baker’s dozen tally of schools, but the Big Ten caught up, matching it for the top representation in the bracketology update, followed by the Big 12 with nine, and the Atlantic Coast Conference with six. Outside of the Power Four, the Big East also boasts six teams in the tournament projections, while the Mid-American, Atlantic 10, West Coast and Atlantic Sun conferences still have a pair, rounding out those with more than one school included.
Florida continues to headline the SEC with the top seed in the East, while the Arkansas Razorbacks remain the No. 2 seed in the Midwest. They are followed by the Texas Longhorns (No. 3, West), Alabama Crimson Tide (No. 3, South), Tennessee Volunteers (No. 5, Midwest), Kentucky Wildcats (No. 5, South), Vanderbilt Commodores (No. 6, East), Missouri Tigers (No. 8, West), Auburn Tigers (No. 8, South), Georgia Bulldogs (No. 8, Midwest), Texas A&M Aggies (No. 9, East), Oklahoma Sooners (No. 11, Midwest) and LSU Tigers (No. 12, West), respectively.
Texas A&M is the first among the last four byes category and LSU is one of the last four in, while the Mississippi State Bulldogs are among the first four out.
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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Florida stands strong in ESPN’s latest bracketology update
Reporting by Adam Dubbin, Gators Wire / Gators Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Adam Dubbin, Gators Wire | USA TODAY Network
