Hear what Florida basketball’s Alex Condon said after UF’s loss in the SEC tournament
Florida basketball’s Alex Condon spoke following the Gators’ loss to Vanderbilt in the SEC tournament. Listen to what he had to say.
Florida basketball’s path to defending its national title is set.
The Gators will open the 2026 Men’s NCAA Tournament against either Prairie View A&M or Lehigh. Top-seeded Florida will begin its pursuit to repeat as national champions, an achievement the program has accomplished only once, when it takes on either the Hawks or Panthers at the Benchmark International Arena in Tampa, Fla.
It’s only the fourth time in the program’s history that UF is a No. 1 seed. Florida is in the South Region of the NCAA tournament, running through Tampa to Houston for regional rounds and ending in Indianapolis, Ind., for the Final Four.
The Gators (26-7) won the SEC regular season championship outright with two games left in the season. However, UF was upset in the conference tournament SEC semifinals by Vanderbilt. Despite the loss, the Gators recorded 12 victories against Quadrant 1 teams in the NET Rankings, which is the fourth-most in the country.
Who is Florida basketball playing in NCAA tournament first round?
Prairie View A&M (18-17) and Lehigh (18-16) will battle in the First Four matchup in Dayton, Ohio, on either March 17 or March 18. The winner will face Florida in Tampa.
Prairie View A&M won the SWAC tournament as a No. 3 seed, while Leigh won the Patriot League tournament as the No. 2 seed.
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Reach Florida Gators writer Andrew Abadie at AAbadie@usatodayco.com or on X (formerly Twitter) at @AndrewAbadie. You can also find him on Facebook at Andrew Abadie Sports Reporter or on Instagram @andrewabadie_sports.
