Florida basketball a No. 2 seed in post-Texas CBS bracketology update
· Yahoo Sports
CBS Sports moved the Florida Gators to a No. 2 seed following Wednesday night's win over the Texas Longhorns,
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Bracketology experts David Cobb and Jacob Fetner made the Orange and Blue the focus of their Thursday update, noting the Gators' strong finish against the Longhorns all but guaranteed the seeding change. Florida has trended upward over the last couple of weeks, and dominating the final eight minutes of Wednesday's game helped UF secure its spot with three regular-season games left to play.
"It appeared the Gators were headed for a fight to the finish. That would have been a rarity for a Florida team that has largely rolled through its SEC schedule," Cobb wrote. "But what happened next illustrated why the Gators are trending up to the No. 2 seed line in CBS Sports Bracketology and why they should be feared as a legitimate contender to repeat as national champions."
The Gators ended things on a 23-7 run, winning by double-digits. Florida kept scoring, and Texas's offense disappeared in the clutch.
"It was a stretch of nearly perfect basketball that should serve as a warning shot to the rest of college basketball," wrote Cobb. "The Gators are coming."
Cobb pointed to Florida's improved 3-point shooting as the key difference maker. Florida made 10 or more buckets from deep just twice in its first 23 games. The Gators have done it three times in the last five games, even with an 8-for-18 performance against the Longhorns. A 44.4% night from three was a distant dream at the beginning of the season, but Todd Golden's group has gotten there.
Florida has remained in the top 15 of the KenPom efficiency ratings all season long, but expected values don't always lead to the predicted outcome. Early-season losses to projected No. 1 seeds Arizona, Duke and UConn put Florida in catch-up mode. The Gators have finally caught up, reaching the No. 7 ranking in wins above bubble, a key metric when it comes to deciding seeding for the NCAA Tournament.
"Now the question is whether there's enough runway left for Florida to creep into the No. 1 seed conversation," Cobb said. "... The Gators finally have top-eight results-based metrics to pair with top-five predictive metrics. The push for a repeat is in full swing."
It won't be easy to overtake any of those three teams mentioned above for a No. 1 seed, and Michigan has looked like a national championship contender all year. Still, Florida is making a case.
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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Florida basketball: CBS Sports bracketology after win over Texas