With a win the Gators would face the winner between No. 8 seed UConn, the two-time defending national champion, and No. 9 seed Oklahoma (20-13) — 85-63 losers Feb. 18 in Gainesville. UConn (23-10) defeated UF 75-54 in December 2022 during Golden’s first season and en route to the Huskies’ national title, one of six by the school since 1999.

Florida should be a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. The Gators left little doubt as to who the second No. 1 seed from the SEC would be with a 86-77 win over Tennessee in the SEC tournament title game on Sunday. Florida controlled the game for nearly its entirety and pulled away after a brief run by Tennessee in the second half.

Walter Clayton Jr. scored 22 points as fourth-ranked Florida won its fifth Southeastern Conference Tournament title and first since 2014 Sunday, beating the No. 8 Tennessee Volunteers 86-77.