Gators Move Up in AP Poll After SEC Tournament Win

The Florida Gators move into the top three after running the table in the SEC Tournament

The Gators tournament win earned them a bump in the top 25 / Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

After winning their first SEC Tournament title in a decade, the Florida Gators men's basketball team has jumped to No. 3 in the latest AP Poll, moving up a spot after being ranked No.4 in last week's poll.

Florida has been ranked as high as No. 2 in the AP Poll this season (Week 16), after beating No.1 ranked Tennessee back in February.

Despite being a lower one-seed in the tournament, the Gators finished ranked ahead of the SEC regular season champions and top seed of the NCAA Tournament, Auburn.

The Tigers are ranked fourth. The Gators sit behind Duke and Houston, who are first and second respectively in the rankings.

On Sunday, the Gators won took down Tennessee for the second time this season to win their fifth SEC tournament title in program history. It was the Gators’ first SEC tournament win since 2014, when they made the Final Four.

This month, Florida has earned five wins against ranked opponents (No.5 Alabama, No.7 Alabama, No.8 Tennessee, No.12 Texas A&M and No.21 Missouri), and are heading into the NCAA tournament with a head of steam after winning six straight games.

Now, the Gators hold the No. 1 seed in the West Region—the No. 4 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament—and are set to face No. 16 Norfolk State on Friday at the Lenovo Center in Raleigh, North Carolina. The winner will advance to take on either No. 8 UConn or No. 9 Oklahoma on Sunday with a spot in the Sweet 16 on the line.

Friday’s game will take place at 6:50 p.m. ET and will be broadcasted live on TNT. The game will also be available on the radio, through the Gators Sports Network.

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