Florida Gators Basketball Did Its Job In Non-Conference Play

The Florida Gators men’s basketball team did enough during non-conference play to position itself for an NCAA Tournament appearance.

The Florida Gators men’s basketball team has officially concluded the non-conference portion of the 2016-17 college basketball season. It played its 12 games as well as one could have realistically expected, going 9-3 overall and securing a number of key victories.

As Florida prepares for the beginning of the SEC season on Thursday, December 29, it can feel confident in the fact that it did its job in non-conference play.

Florida’s 9-3 record was accumulated over the course of just one home game, two road games, and nine neutral site encounters. During those outings, Florida secured victories over 2016 NCAA Tournament teams in Florida Gulf Coast, Seton Hall, and Miami.

It also won games against quality opponents such as Belmont, Little Rock, and St. Bonaventure to help round out a respectable collection of non-conference wins.

Florida’s three losses were all competitive games against potential contenders. It fell 77-72 to the No. 7 Gonzaga Bulldogs, 84-74 to the No. 5 Duke Blue Devils, and 83-78 to the No. 21 Florida State Seminoles.

Losses are never ideal from a traditional perspective, but Florida played quite well against three teams that are widely expected to be high seeds in the 2017 NCAA Tournament.

Florida currently ranks No. 1 in the country in strength of schedule and No. 2 in RPI. It was 7-2 during neutral site games, including the impressive wins over Miami and Seton Hall.

Just as significant is the fact that Duke, Florida State, and Gonzaga all rank in the Top 15 in RPI, and Florida looked strong against all three.

For as well as the Gators have played during the 2016 college basketball season thus far, there’s still significant work to be done. Florida will need to put together a strong showing in conference play in order to secure an NCAA Tournament appearance.

If the Gators perform at an even acceptable level in the SEC, their non-conference play should be enough to get them into The Big Dance.

Realistically, Florida has the personnel to be one of the elite teams in the SEC. The Kentucky Wildcats are heavy favorites, but the Gators compare well to the likes of Arkansas, Auburn, Georgia, LSU, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, South Carolina, and Texas A&M.

The question is: can the Gators continue to perform at a comparable level to what they showed in non-conference play?

The first stage of pursuing an NCAA Tournament appearance has been completed. Up next: the wonderful rivalries of the SEC.