Gators not worried about seeding
Florida is heading down the home stretch of the 2012-13 season playing for a higher seed in the NCAA Tournament.
But Florida coach Billy Donovan said he doesn’t view a big difference between being a No. 1 seed and No. 3 seed, which is where the Gators are currently projected.
“The selection committee is going to seed you how they seed you,” Donovan said. “You’ve got to go out and play. You’ve got to get prepared to play.”
Donovan said he felt the Gators should have been seeded higher than No. 7 last season (some projections had UF as a 5 seed). But the Gators caught a break when No. 15 seed Norfolk State upset No. 2 Missouri in their bracket. Florida went on to defeat Norfolk State 84-50 en route to to its second straight Elite Eight appearance.
“Does it make a difference? I don’t know,” Donovan said. “I mean, you could look at the numbers and say the better seeding you have, the more likelihood there is to advance. But, I mean, we’re a seven seed last year with an opportunity to go to the Final Four. We’ve got to go out and play regardless of what the number is next to our name.”
ESPN.com’s Joe Lunardi currently has Florida as a No. 3 seed in the South Region in his latest bracketology. CBSSports.com’s Jerry Palm, meanwhile, has Florida as a No. 3 seed in the Midwest Region. Both Lunardi and Palm have UF opening the NCAA Tournament in Dayton, Ohio.
But Florida could climb to a No. 2 seed or possibly even a No. 1 seed with a strong finish. UF is currently No. 6 in the latest NCAA.com’s RPI, an indicator the Selection Committee uses to judge seeding. The Gators are 1-2 vs. the RPI Top 25, 4-3 vs. the RPI Top 50 and 12-5 vs. the RPI Top 100.
It’s a decent resume, which could improve with a win at Kenutcky and/or wins over either Kentucky and Missouri in the SEC Tournament. But senior forward Erik Murphy said it’s more important at this point for the Gators to continue to improve heading into the NCAA Tournament.
“Seeding, that will take care of itself,” Murphy said. “We’ve all seen in college basketball just because we’re seeded really good it doesn’t really matter in the long run. So we’re not going to worry about that.”
Kevin Brockway gave up on his dream of becoming a lefty starting pitcher for the New York Mets when he walked four straight batters, then hit one in a middle school game in Suffern, N.Y. Since graduating college in 1993, he’s worked as a sports writer at daily newspapers throughout the state of Florida, beginning with the Key West Citizen. He then moved on to the Northwest Florida Daily News and Naples Daily News before becoming the men’s basketball writer for The Gainesville Sun in 2003. Brockway has won multiple state and national writing awards during his 16-year career. Favorite pastimes include karaoke and watching baseball. Favorite college hoops team growing up was St. John’s.
Everyone should go back and look at how many 1 and 2 seeds win the tournament. Check yourself, it is over whelming. 1 #4 and 1#8 have won in last 25 years or so. It behooves you to be 1 or 2. Now I understand players downplaying seeding, that is what players do, they underrate things they can’t control. However, in this instance they DO control the process and better not lose to Kentucky in which case they might drop to a 4 seed. You obviously want to play a 14 and a 6 in the first 2 games as opposed to a 13 and a 5. And you probaly would rather play a 2 in firts game of Sweet 16. To make it easy—Beat a Kentucky team without its best player AND also possibly knock them out of tournament. Don’t want Selection Committee seeing our most impressive road win as a rout of a bad FSU team
by Lou Vales
If there is a dominant team with a #1 seed it matters. This year, however, there are at least 20 teams who could win. I think matchups are more important than seeds. If their weaknesses play to your strengths you will win.
by william
There is a reason #1 and #2 seeds win the majority of the titles, the BEST teams get those seeding’s, duh. Florida is at best a #4 seed, they need a win at Kentucky and a good showing in the SEC Tourney to secure a higher seed. It’s always been about the match-ups, doesn’t matter if you’re playing a #5 or #6 seed, depends on who those teams are and how well you match-up with them. I don’t see the Gators winning the SEC tournament, and it wouldn’t surprise me to see them fold early in the big dance, this team hasn’t been impressive in two months. There is no dominate team like KY a year ago, it’s wide open this year, no #16 seed has beaten a #1 seed, and that won’t change this year, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see all 4 #1 seeds get knocked off before Atlanta.
by Kevin Patrick
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by March Madness – Rise of the #16 Seed | Get Real BasketballGet Real Basketball
Kevin, a #4 seed? I don’t think so. The article is accurate 3, good chance at a 2 and possibly 1 if strong finish.
by John
#1 and #2 seeds win the title more often because they are better teams, not because they were seeded #1 or #2.
by masco
I agree that should be win the last 2 sec games we will be 25-5 and SEC Champs……IF we win 3 more and win the SEC tourney we would be a 28-5 team and SEC winner and tourney winner with a good chance we could be a 1 seed and worst case 2….. I think we just need to win out or WIN the last 2 SEC games and at least 2 of the 3 tourney games and we will be assured of a 2!
Go Gators…Stay healthy.
by bob
Let’s just not lose to a mediocre Kentucky team and see what we get. You don’t want the selection committee looking at your resume and seeing a win against a garbage FSU team as your best road win. If you don’t believe FSU is currently best road win, choose another. Yale??????? Road losses to only good teams—Agreed????—we have played: Arizona, K-State, Missouri and Tennessee. I ain’t calling an Arkansas team that will not make the Tournament “good.” The more I think about this, we better beat Kentucky because those guys sitting in that suite probably will not be looking through orange and blue glasses.
by Lou Vales
3,5,3,1,2,7
3,5,2,5,4
The first set of numbers are Florida’s seeds in Final 4 or Elite 8 seasons. The second set are Florida’s seeds five years in a row starting in 2001 where they didn’t make it past the second round. Both average about 3.5. For the Gators and really any team, it is about getting hot at the right time, matchups, and hopefully having some teams in your region get upset before you play them. With the parity this season, a 3 seed won’t be much different than a 2 or even a 1….
by James
Thanks James!!!! Lou is a tool…. back to James….that is the truth!!!!!!!!!! in any tourny….Green Bay Packers a couple years ago Giants a couple times.
by Sambizle
the offesne didnt look like a #1 seed tonite.
they continue to have problems feeding the post.
by chuck
[...] Florida coach Billy Donovan downplayed the significance that a No. 1 seed has on the outcome of the …, and he uses his Gators from last season as a perfect example. “Does it make a difference? I don’t know,” Donovan said. “I mean, you could look at the numbers and say the better seeding you have, the more likelihood there is to advance. But, I mean, we’re a No. 7 seed last year with an opportunity to go to the Final Four. We’ve got to go out and play regardless of what the number is next to our name.” The Gators are in the hunt for a No. 1 seed, but there isn’t a single NCAA Tournament venue site within 700 miles of Gainesville (that is, until the Final Four in Atlanta). In terms of a geographic advantage for Florida, there isn’t really one available. Even as a top seed, UF could be paired with a No. 2 seed that is closer to the venue site, removing any real advantage they would have in advancing. [...]
by SEC M5: 03.07.13 EditionRush The Court | Rush The Court
fla wins 2 in the ncaas and goes home–too soft inside, no great shooters.
by allvai