Gators Earn Ncaa West’s No. 1 Seed, Face Norfolk State

GAINESVILLE — Florida will open NCAA Tournament play Friday in Raleigh against Norfolk State as the No. 1 seed in the West Region.

The Gators’ empathic win Sunday against Tennessee in the SEC Tournament championship game ended the debate on whether the Gators would would earn a No. 1 seed.

Florida point guard Walter Clayton Jr., the Gators’ leading scorer, was named SEC Tournament MVP. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

The only question after Sunday’s 86-77 win against the Vols was the UF’s potential path to the Final Four in San Antonio.

The NCAA Selection Committee tabbed Todd Golden’s team the fourth No. 1 seed. UF sits behind Auburn, who anchors the South Region, Duke (East) and Houston (Midwest), setting up Golden for a return to San Francisco if the Gators win two games this week.

The 39-year-old played at St. Mary’s College in Moraga, 22 miles east of the city, and later coached five seasons at the University of San Francisco, including the final three (2019-22) as head coach before coming to UF.

“That’s a long ways away,” Golden said ahead of the SEC Tournament. “We have to take care of a lot of business before that, but it would be really cool. Be fun.”

Norfolk State (24-10) earned a tournament bid with a 58-55 win against Morgan State in the MEAC Tournament final.

As a No. 15 seed in their first trip to the Big Dance, the Spartans beat second-seeded Missouri in 2012. Norfolk State also reached the NCAAs in 2021 and 2022.

With a win the Gators would the winner between No. 8 seed UConn, the two-time defending national champion, and No. 9 seed Oklahoma (20-13) — 85-63 losers Feb. 18 in Gainesville. UConn (23-10) defeated UF 75-54 in December of 2022 during Golden’s first season and en route to the Huskies’ national title, one of six by the school since 1999.

Florida head coach Todd Golden celebrates the Gators’ 86-77 win against Tennessee in the SEC Tournament championship game Sunday at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

The Gators (30-4) made a strong case to play closer to home —  Atlanta (South), Newark, N.J. (East) and Indianapolis (Midwest) are the other regional sites.

UF, won 30 games for the first time since 2014, posting an 11-4 in Quad 1 games and 9-0 against Quad 2 foes. The Gators’ impressive run included two wins against the top-ranked team, a 73-43 decision Jan. 7 against Tennessee in Gainesville, and a 90-81 win Feb. 8 at Auburn.

Florida is the sixth highest rated team in the history of analytics guru Ken Pomeroy’s Web site began in 1997, ahead of Houston and Auburn.

The SEC has 14 teams in the tournament, breaking Big East’s record 11 in 2011.

Edgar Thompson can be reached at egthompson@orlandosentinel.com