The Florida Gators opened up the 2026 SEC men’s basketball schedule, splitting their first two games. Things were looking grim after a 76-74 road loss to the Missouri Tigers to start things off, but a solid 92-77 victory over the Georgia Bulldogs in Gainesville brought things back into balance.
There is still plenty of basketball left to be played, and even ESPN believes that the Orange and Blue have a shot to win the conference title despite the rough start. However, Todd Golden and Co. have not been trending well in ESPN college hoops expert Joe Lunardi’s bracketologies.
After a 1-1 start in conference play and holding a 10-5 overall record, Florida is down one seed since our previous update, falling from the No. 5 seed in the West Region to the No. 6 seed in the South. That puts the Gators up against the No. 11-seeded Miami RedHawks in the opening round held in Oklahoma City.
Top seeds in ESPN’s 2026 bracketology update
The top-seeded schools in this week’s bracketology again remained unchanged, with the Michigan Wolverines maintaining the top overall seed plus the No. 1 spot in the Midwest Region. Meanwhile, the Arizona Wildcats lead the West, the Iowa State Cyclones top the South and the UConn Huskies rule the East.
SEC schools in ESPN’s 2026 bracketology update
The Southeastern Conference is down one school from our last update, with nine member schools making the cut — one short of the Big Ten, which leads all leagues with 10.
The Vanderbilt Commodores once again held onto the No. 2 seed in the Midwest to headline the SEC, followed by the followed by the Alabama Crimson Tide (No. 4, South), Arkansas Razorbacks (No. 4 West), Tennessee Volunteers (No. 5, East), Florida (No. 6, South), Georgia Bulldogs (No. 8, South), Auburn Tigers (No. 9, East), Kentucky Wildcats (No. 10, East) and LSU Tigers (No. 11, Midwest).
Kentucky is among the last four byes and LSU is the first of the last four in category, while the Oklahoma Sooners are the last of the first four out. Missouri is the final team in the next four out.
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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Here’s where Florida basketball lands in the latest bracketology
Reporting by Adam Dubbin, Gators Wire / Gators Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
