The Florida Gators are the biggest losers of Selection Sunday

Winning the best conference in college basketball should give a team a little more confidence heading into the NCAA Tournament, but in the case of the Florida Gators the committee handed the SEC champions a challenging road to the Final Four.

The SEC boasts more tournament teams than any other conference in this year's March Madness bracket with 14 teams earning trips to the tournament, however, the Gators have stood out recently after winning their conference tournament and running through Missouri, Alabama and Tennessse en route to the title.

That being said, the Gators won't have an easy pathway towards making a deep.run in March thanks to what went down on Selection Sunday, including potential dates with St. Johns, Texas Tech, Maryland and last year's national champions Connecticut in the West region.

West region
1. Florida
2. St John’s
3. Texas Tech
4. Maryland

8. UConn

The Gators just won the toughest conference we have seen in over a decade and they’re in a loaded West. So many questions for the Committee.

St John’s and Texas Tech can both do damage.
— Kevin Negandhi (@KevinNegandhi) March 16, 2025

The Gators won their first SEC tournament in over a decade after closing the season on a strong run that included just two losses since the start of February.

Todd Golden’s team is ranked top 10 in the nation in Kenpom's offensive and defensive rankings, which should immediately make them a championship contender because of their efficiency on both ends of the court.

Mar 16, 2025; Nashville, TN, USA; Tennessee Volunteers guard Zakai Zeigler (5) dribbles the ball against Florida Gators forward Thomas Haugh (10) in the second half during the 2025 SEC Championship Game at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images / Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

Once the NCAA Tournament gets underway though, all bets are off in a one-or-done matchup against the country's top teams. Even the lower-seeded teams in Florida's region are intimidating, including Grand Canyon, Drake and Colorado State - who all won 25 or more games this season.

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