Dan Hurley’s UConn Huskies were riding high as the fourth No.1 seed in March Madness bracketology. However, that aspiration faced a huge blow after Florida surpassed UConn for the fourth No.1 seed in ESPN‘s Bracketology by Joe Lunardi.
The Gators won 84-77 at Kentucky to clinch this position, while the Huskies fell at Marquette. The Huskies were the shakiest No.1 seed entering the final weekend, and their loss at Marquette paved the way for the Gators to make the swap.
The defeat against Marquette was no ordinary setback. UConn is 7-2 in Quad 1 and has now faced its first Quad 2 defeat following the 68-62 loss against Marquette. Losing to a sub -.500 team is not the kind of blemish UConn would want the selection committee to remember.
The Huskies also suffered a Quad 3 home loss to Creighton on February 18 and entered the day at No. 4 in Wins Above Bubble. This could be a key metric used by the selection committee to determine the Huskies’ bracket.
On the other hand, the Florida Gators have been busy making a statement with their play. The Gators’ No.1 seed is sort of hard to imagine as they had fallen 5-4 overall after back-to-back losses to Duke and UConn in December. However, they bounced back strong and are now 12-5 in Quad 1 and unbeaten across Quad 3 and Quad 4, sitting 25-6 overall after securing the SEC’s outright regular-season title and winning 11 consecutive games.
How Does The Road Ahead Look for UConn and Florida?
One trump card in UConn’s favor is that the Huskies had actually beaten Florida earlier this season. However, bracketology history suggests head-to-head results don’t really matter.
A year ago, Auburn earned the No.1 overall seed for the 2025 NCAA Tournament over Duke and Florida, despite having more losses than both and a head-to-head loss against both.
If both the Gators and UConn win their conference tournaments, the Gators would be a double-champion, while the Huskies cannot reach that plateau. Deference can be given to both teams that win both their regular-season and tournament conference titles.
For the Huskies, a slip against a struggling Marquette team may have cost them heavily in college basketball. However, the road to redemption could only come through the Big East Tournament and going deep in the March Madness.
Read More:
Why Was Dan Hurley Fined $25,000? UConn Coach’s ‘Unsportsmanlike Conduct’ Brings Trouble
John Calipari Admits Tough Relationship With Mitch Barnhart as Retirement Reopens Old Wounds
Why Was Bill Self Ejected by Officials? Bizarre Moment in Kansas vs Arizona State Explained
College Sports Network has you covered with the latest news, analysis, insights, and trending stories in baseball, tennis, college football, men’s college basketball, women’s college basketball, and college baseball!
