2024 NCAA Tournament bracket: Florida Gators basketball enters as No. 7 seed in March Madness

Basketball

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Image Credit: Bryce Mitchell, UAA

It’s time for the Florida Gators to experience March Madness again. After winning four of their last six games to close the season, the Gators enter the 2024 NCAA Tournament — appearing in the event for the first time since 2021 — as a No. 7 seed in the South Region.

Florida (24-11) will open play on Friday against the No. 10 seed, a play-in winner between Boise State (22-10) or Colorado (24-10) in first-round action at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. The game will air at 4:30 p.m. ET on TBS with Kevin Harlan calling play by play, Dan Bonner and Stan Van Gundy providing color commentary, and Andy Katz serving as the court reporter.

The top four seeds in the South Region are No. 1 Houston, No. 2 Marquette (which UF would likely play with a first-round victory), No. 3 Kentucky and No. 4 Duke.

The No. 7 seed is lower than what some anticipated for the Gators given their substantial play in one of the nation’s toughest conferences and an exciting run to the final of the 2024 SEC Tournament where exhaustion contributed to a tough championship defeat.

This will mark Florida’s second straight NCAA Tournament appearance in which it will play its first week in Indianapolis.

The Gators are 45-19 all-time in the NCAA Tournament with eight straight Round of 32 appearances (2011-14, 2017-19, 2021). Florida did not make the field in 2015-16 or either of the last two seasons, and the event was not played in 2020.

Todd Golden is just the second head coach in program history to earn an NCAA Tournament berth inside his first two seasons leading the team.