Absolutely Slam Dunk! Buckets Up for an Epic Final Four 2026 Showdown!
The defending national champions have reason to smile.
One of the biggest debates entering Selection Sunday was whether defending national champion Florida deserved a No. 1 seed in the 2026 men’s NCAA tournament . The Gators were humbled by Vanderbilt in the semifinals of the SEC tournament and didn’t look all that great in their victory over Kentucky the previous day.
Florida had struggled early in the season but rebounded to close out the regular season well before entering the SEC tournament. Was it enough to maintain a grip on a No. 1 seed?
UConn’s loss to St. John’s in the Big East final earlier Sunday tempered any concern the Gators might have had about slipping to the 2-seed line. Instead, not only did Florida get a No.
1 seed, it landed in the South Region — a region that, according to an analysis of KenPom data, could offer the easiest path to the title. [ Yahoo Fantasy Bracket Mayhem: Fill out brackets for your shot at $50K ] Fourth-seeded Nebraska would be the easiest Sweet 16 matchup for any of the No. 1 seeds.