Florida secures No. 1 seed in NCAA Tournament's South Region

Edgar Thompson, Orlando Sentinel on Mar 15, 2026

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GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida received the final No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament on Sunday, a day after the Gators’ SEC Tournament no-show loss against Vanderbilt in the semifinals cast doubt whether they’d secure one of four coveted spots.

Todd Golden’s squad will face the Prairie View or Lehigh on Friday in Tampa’s Benchmark International Arena. Barring a major upset, the Gators (26-7) would face the winner between No. 8 Clemson (24-10) and No. 9 Iowa (21-12) on Sunday for the opportunity to advance to Houston in South Regional.

The 2025 Gators landed the final top seed and rode it to the Final Four in San Antonio, where Florida erased a 12-point deficit to slip by Houston 65-63.

Florida joined Duke, the top seed in the tournament in the East Region, Arizona (West) and Michigan (Midwest) as No. 1 seeds.

NCAA Selection Committee decision-makers set up a potential 2025 national title rematch against the No. 2-seed Houston Cougars in their hometown Toyota Center.

But the Gators will have to vastly improve their outside shooting and ball security to get to the regional final March 28 and reach the Final Four April 4-6 in Indianapolis.

Florida was 8 of 37 from 3-point range and committed 32 turnovers in two SEC Tournament games.

During Saturday’s 91-74 loss to Vanderbilt, the Gators committed nine first-half turnovers leading to 20 points. Florida’s 18 turnovers and three 3-pointers — on 20 attempts — against Kentucky allowed the Wildcats to hang around during the Gators’ 71-63 win Friday in the tournament quarterfinals.

Poor 3-point shooting and turnovers plagued Golden’s team during a 5-4 start featuring narrow losses at Duke (67-66) and UConn (77-73) in Madison Square Garden when the Gators shot 11 of 43 from long range.

A Boogie Fland turnover during the final seconds at Duke cost Florida a chance for a game-winning shot. Against UConn, the Gators turned over the ball with nine seconds remaining while trailing by three points.

During a surprising 84-80 loss to unranked TCU, Florida squandered a 10-point second-half lead and committed 19 turnovers.

The Gators’ 3-point shooting (30.83%) ranks 327th nationally among 361 schools and was last among 79 power conference programs well into January. Florida vastly improved from long range during an 11-game winning streak to close the regular season, shooting 37.6%.

After averaging 13.5 turnovers in 13 non-conferences, the Gators averaged 10.3 during 18 SEC games to finish 16-2 and win the regular-season title.

While Florida aims to rediscover its form, the Gators can rely on their rebounding, transition game and defense. Golden’s team leads the nation with a plus-14 rebounding margin and bettered Kentucky 50-29 on the boards on Friday to generate a 21-8 edge in second-change points.

Florida outrebounded Vanderbilt 38-23 on Saturday, but managed a slight edge in second-chance points (14-11). Defensive lapses cost the Gators repeatedly against the Commodores, who shot 54.5% and were 10 of 21 from beyond the arc.

Florida allowed two opponents to shoot 50% or better prior to Saturday, UConn and Vanderbilt during the regular season. Opponents shot 38.2% during The Gators’ 12-game winning streak prior to the semifinals loss.

Florida’s dominance up front and improved backcourt play had rekindled the Gators’ hopes to become a rare repeat national champion. Their SEC Tournament struggles showed much work remains.

A No. 1 seed, though, is a good start given the 2025 Final Four welcomed all four top seeds in San Antonio, where the Gators earned the program’s third national title.

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