Gators, Seminoles going dancing in March Madness

FILE - In this Feb. 9, 2019, file photo, Florida coach Mike White reacts to a call during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Tennessee, in Knoxville, Tenn. Florida coach Mike White spent the first three months of the season watching his Gators burn through just about any cushion they had in building a viable NCAA Tournament resume. Now his team could use a strong finish to earn a bid. (AP Photo/Wade Payne, File) (Wade Payne, Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

Florida and Florida State are going dancing.

The Gators (14-9) earned the No. 7 seed in the South Region in the men’s basketball tournament and will open against 10th-seeded Virginia Tech (15-6) on Friday. Florida State (16-6) earned a No. 4 seed in the East Region and will face No. 13 seed UNC-Greensboro (21-8) on Saturday.

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Times will be announced later.

The Seminoles lost to Georgia Tech in the ACC championship game last Saturday.

Florida dropped its SEC tournament quarterfinal to Tennessee.

The Gators are in a packed South Region with No. 1 Baylor (22-2), No. 3 Arkansas (22-6) and No. 8 North Carolina (18-8). Michigan (20-4) is the top seed in the Florida State’s East Region.

Unbeaten Gonzaga and Illinois are the other two top seeds in the NCAA tournament.


About the Author:

Justin Barney joined News4Jax in February 2019, but he’s been covering sports on the First Coast for more than 20 years.