Bracketology 2020: Buy or sell Memphis, Purdue, Texas, Florida and Wisconsin
By Bryan Mauro
Florida Gators – Buy
At the beginning of the year when pre-season rankings came out Florida was a trendy pick to win the SEC championship and, in some cases, win the National Title. Once the season began Florida has not in any way lived up to the expectations placed on them. They have been so disappointing that many believe that head coach Mike White is going to be relieved of his duties come the end of the year.
Why did Florida have such lofty expectations? The Gators returned a lot from last year’s roster and added an exceptional player Kerry Blackshear as a grad transfer from Virginia Tech. That was coupled with an outstanding freshman class. The fans in Gainesville were hoping for a great year. The Gators have many flaws. They struggle on the defensive end of the floor and they at points have a hard time putting the ball in the basket. Despite that Florida has a clear path into the NCAA tournament. They currently sit at 38 in the NET. They are 3-6 against Quad 1, which isn’t great, but the committee should reward them for that. Especially since they have zero losses in quad 3 and quad 4.
The Gators have a win over Auburn and Xavier as well as wins over fellow bubble teams in South Carolina, and Alabama. The next four weeks are going to be telling for the tournament resume for the Gators. They still must play Kentucky twice and LSU again at home. They also play Arkansas as well. The quad 1 opportunities are present, and Florida may have already done enough to at least head to Dayton for a first-round game. Florida will get in, but they have the looks of a team that is going to be scoreboard watching during championship week.