Florida HC Todd Golden Sends Strong Message Before Selection Sunday

The Florida Gators were hammered by the Vanderbilt Commodores in the SEC Tournament on Saturday, costing themselves a shot to win the conference title and potentially a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament as a result.

However, Florida head coach Todd Golden — who has been heavily criticized by rival fans for his brash nature — thinks his team has done enough.

Following the Gators' 91-74 loss to Vanderbilt, Golden made the case that Florida still deserves to nab a top seed in the tournament field.

"We haven't lost in 54 days or something leading up to this game, playing some of the best basketball in America," Golden said. "I do believe we've done enough to be the fourth 1-seed. But we'll find out tomorrow night."

The Gators had won 12 games in a row prior to their defeat at the hands of the Commodores, including three wins over Kentucky as well as victories over Alabama and Arkansas.

Florida has gone 26-7 on the year overall, going 16-2 in SEC play. Many of its losses actually came early in the season, as the Gators actually got off to a 5-4 start.

The defending national champions have since righted the ship, but will it be enough for them to land a No. 1 seed in the Big Dance?

ESPN's Joe Lunardi still thinks that Florida will nab the last top seed, especially after UConn lost to St. John's in the Big East Tournament championship game.

"Florida was the outright champion of a far stronger league. UConn finished second in a far weaker league. I know the UConn and Big East people won't want to hear that but I fully expect that Florida is going to be the No. 1 seed in the South [Sunday] night," Lunardi sad. "And the committee over the years, for all the slings and arrows they take, they're very good at not overreacting to a single result."

It's important to note that UConn actually beat Florida earlier in the season, but that was all the way back on Dec. 9.

We'll see what the selection committee decides later on Sunday and if the end result ultimately satisfies Golden and his squad.

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