The Florida Gator is one of the most proud and most skilled programs in boys' college basketball in the last 35 years. Rolling back to 1990, Florida has two national championships in 2006 and 2007, hosting three other final four appearances in 1994, 2000 and 2014, as well as the final appearances of four other regions (2011, 2012, 2013, 2017).
It's been a while since the Gators were associated with deeper in the crazy brackets of March. It's been eight years since Florida moved forward past the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament.
This shouldn't have been the year Florida returned to competition for the championship. That's what Gator was I chose No. 6 in the SEC preseason pollsand was ranked 21st in the AP preseason polls. However, from the moment the season began, Florida began the campaign with 13 consecutive wins, keeping momentum through SEC play.
The Gators placed second in the SEC regular season standings after Auburn, but have proven their strength in conference tournaments. Florida won conference tournaments with an average margin of 15 points per victory in the process of dismantling what many call the toughest league in sport's history.
The Gators won the final No. 1 seed in the 2025 Men's NCAA Tournament Bracket. They may be fourth overall on the seed list, but it feels like Florida is the best team in the country that goes into madness in March. Below are three reasons why Gators cut their networks for the third time in their program history:
Florida is being battle tested and plays the best ball at the right time
The SEC was the toughest meeting in the country this year. The SEC's net rating was +22.01 Kenpom. The Big Ten was the second toughest meeting with a net rate of +17.94. It wasn't too close between the SEC and the next best league in the US.
Florida finished 17-4 in SEC plays, counting their conference tournament wins. They'll go into March's insanity as the winner of 12 of the last 13 games. Texas A&MMissouri, and Olemis. It feels like Florida has already broken half of the field in the NCAA Tournament this season.
Florida essentially played one bad game all season when Tennessee was drilled on February 1st with a loss of 20 points. Apart from that, Gators faced an elite schedule and dominated it on every opportunity. The Florida roster is peaking at the right time as sophomore big man Alex Condon suddenly becomes NBA prospects and senior security guard Walton Clayton Jr. has undoubtedly established himself as the country's best security guard.
Florida has the power and depth of the stars
Clayton and Condon give Florida perhaps the best guard + center combo in the country. On a big list of 50 best players in the 2025 Men's NCAA Tournament, Clayton was third overall and Condon was 25th. This is the traditional wisdom that Elite Guard Play won the NCAA tournament. Having a great, big man is almost important. The best thing about these gators is that they have stars, but they can survive if they have a game-off game or get caught up in foul trouble.
In Florida, there are two very good security guards, Richard and Aliya Martin. Richard has been the Gators' rock for three years since spending one season at Belmont, offering reliable spot-up shots (36% from deep), tough on-ball defense (3% steel rate), and crafty interior scoring (68.6% with two pointers). Martin played for the Florida Atlantic and the Final Four in 2023, and he is one of the best defenders in the SEC. The Gators have pasted Martin on the creator of the Hot Boundary and have experienced the greatest stage of protecting the stars. Throwing out Urban Crabzaar, a Slovenian security guard who has recently emerged from the bench, Florida has a wealth of security guards with a variety of skill sets.
The depth of the Big Man may be even more impressive. Condon is a skilled passerby who is excellent at running the floor during transitions and gets some three. There is also Rueben Chinyelu, a powerful 6'10, 260 pound centre that can clean glass and block shots. Thomas Howe is another three big big, hitting three times (36% on 80 attempts) while offering a bit of shot blocking.
Some teams feel like they're screwed when the best players have off-nights. Gators are not one of them.
Florida is great on both ends of the floor
The Gators took part in the NCAA Tournament with first-place offensive efficiency, scoring 128.6 points per 100 people. This is the second best offensive in the Kenpom period (since 1997) after Wisconsin in 2015. The Florida attack takes 43.6% of the field's attempts from the 3-point range, accounting for 35.5%. They use their spacing to open lanes driving lanes for security guards, making 56.4% of the 27th place two-point shot. Florida is elite with offensive glass (No. 8 in the country) and does a good job of avoiding turnovers. They regularly win the games they own.
He is also solid in defense and ranks 9th in the tournament. Florida has limited its opponents to the sixth most effective field percentage in the country. Teams can shoot from three to 29.6% and from two to 45.9%. Both are elite marks. They don't force large amounts of sales, but fasting is scary when it starts.
The National Champion is not great on one end of the floor, and does not shake at the other end. Florida has historically been good at attacking and is a great defensive player.
What is the catch? The Gators have gone on a tough road
Florida's route to the Final Four includes facing back-to-back national champions uconn In the 32nd round, he took over Maryland's talented “Club Five” lineup at Sweet 16, portraying the ferocious St. John's team in Rick Pitino's Elite Eight. These are three extremely tough matches just to beat the region, and it's possible that fellow SEC Bread No. 1 seed Auburn is waiting for the final four.
It's a difficult road, but Florida is talented enough to run through it. The Gators enter March as the most complete team on the field with the fewest questions. It may be time to collect the net again with a gator.
