Dec. 24, 2025, 1:01 p.m. ET
ESPN released its latest men’s college basketball bracketology ahead of Christmas break, and in the recent update, the Florida Gators find themselves at the same seed they were last time around.
The Orange and Blue remained a No. 5 seed in the bracketology, but have moved over from the Midwest Region to the West. There, Todd Golden’s gang is matched up in the opening round with the No. 12-seeded Utah Valley Wolverines in San Diego, California.
The Gators went 2-0 this past week, with dominating wins over the St. Francis Red Flash (102-61) and the Colgate Raiders (90-60) inside the O’Connell Center. Those victories were great for padding the team’s record, but they did not make a significant impact in the NET rankings.
Top seeds in ESPN’s 2026 bracketology update
Three of the four teams that held top positions in the previous bracketology — the Michigan Wolverines with the top overall seed plus the No. 1 spot in the Midwest Region, the Arizona Wildcats in the West and the Iowa State Cyclones in the South. The Duke Blue Devils dropped from their perch this week, opening the door for the UConn Huskies to take over the No. 1 seed in the East.
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The Southeastern Conference once again added a school to its total this week, bringing the number up to 10, and is now tied with the Big Ten for the most teams included.
The top-seeded SEC program this week is the Vanderbilt Commodores, who moved up to the No. 2 spot in the Midwest Region, followed by the Alabama Crimson Tide (No. 4, South), Tennessee Volunteers (No. 5, East), Florida (No. 5, West), Arkansas Razorbacks (No. 6, East), Auburn Tigers (No. 7, East), Kentucky Wildcats (No. 7, South), Georgia Bulldogs (No. 8, Midwest) and LSU Tigers (No. 9, East).
The Oklahoma Sooners are a No. 12 seed in the Midwest and are not only among the last four in, but are the last team in the bracketology.
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