With the 2021-2022 College Basketball Regular Season winding down, it’s almost time for the Nation’s 68 best teams to face one another in March Madness. With this being said, there is officially less than three weeks until ‘Selection Sunday’ occurs on March 13th. From there, the tournament will begin with the collection of ‘First Four’ games on March 15th and 16th, and then last for about three weeks until the National Championship is played on April 4th in New Orleans. The two ways that a team can earn a bid to the NCAA tournament are by winning their postseason conference tournament, or receiving an at-large bid from the Selection Committee. Out of the three college universities located in Florida, here are each of those teams’ March Madness resumes ranked.
1. Miami Hurricanes’ NCAA Tournament Resume
Cumulative Record: 19-8, 11-5 ACC
Quad Records: 4-1 in Quad One, 5-4 in Quad Two, 6-3 in Quad Three, 4-0 in Quad Four
NET Ranking: 67
Kenpom Ranking: 66
Major Wins: 92-84 W vs Wake Forest, 76-74 W @ #2 Duke, 85-57 W vs North Carolina, 76-72 W @ Wake Forest
Major Losses: 89-95 L vs UCF, 60-76 L vs Dayton, 64-96 L vs #10 Alabama, 64-65 L @ Florida State, 60-61 L vs Florida State, 64-68 L vs Notre Dame, 58-71 L @ Virginia, 71-74 L vs Virginia.
Remaining Schedule: @ Pittsburgh, vs Virginia Tech, @ Boston College, @ Syracuse
Miami’s Tournament Outlook
Despite suffering several head-scratching losses through the season, the Miami Hurricanes are in a good position to make March Madness. According to ESPN’s Joe Lunardi, Miami is one of Lunardi’s ‘Last Four Byes’, and projects to be a No. 10 seed barring any setback in their last four games. Due to a weak ACC, Miami has remained near the top of the ACC Standings while notching 11 conference wins. While the Hurricanes close out their schedule with three out of four ACC conference games on the road, only one of their four opponents (Syracuse, 15-12, 9-7 ACC) has a record of .500 or better in conference play. Miami also projects to be one of the ACC’s better teams in the upcoming ACC Tournament, so making a deep run or avenging an early-season loss to Notre Dame or North Carolina would go a long way in boosting the Hurricanes’ resume.
Barring any late-season setbacks, Miami will be a team that no contender will want to face in the early rounds. Miami’s Head Coach Jim Larrañaga has the Hurricanes clicking on all cylinders at the right time. While Senior Kameron McGusty has averaged 17.7 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 2.4 APG, and 1.7 SPG in 33.6 MPG this season, he isn’t the only offensive threat Miami has on their roster. In addition to McGusty, Isaiah Wong and Charlie Moore form a three-headed scoring attack in Miami’s backcourt, with Wong averaging 15.6 PPG and Moore with 12.4 PPG. The Hurricanes’ offensive specialty is their consistent shooting, as Miami has eight players shooting 44.8% or better from the field and four players shooting 36.0% or better from three-point range.
2. Florida Gators’ NCAA Tournament Resume
Cumulative Record: 17-10, 7-7 SEC
Quad Records: 2-7 in Quad One, 3-2 in Quad Two, 5-0 in Quad Three, 7-1 in Quad Four
NET Ranking: 50
Kenpom Ranking: 51
Major Wins: 71-55 W vs #20 Florida State, 71-68 W @ Ohio State, 81-72 W vs Oklahoma State, 63-62 W vs #2 Auburn
Major Losses: 67-74 L @ Oklahoma, 54-69 L vs Texas Southern, 71-78 L @ #18 Tennesse, 55-56 L @ Texas A&M
Remaining Schedule: Vs #18 Arkansas, @ Georgia, @ Vanderbilt, vs #6 Kentucky
Florida’s Tournament Outlook
In desperate need of a marquee win to boost their tournament resume, Florida did just that, knocking off #2 Auburn, 63-62. This was important for multiple reasons, but it helps widen Florida’s margin for error to return to March Madness. After suffering a Quad Four blowout loss to Texas Southern earlier this season, Florida’s tournament hopes were all but dashed. In order to avenge this defeat, the Gators needed to notch wins over the nation’s best teams. Knocking off the Tigers at home is certainly a start, but Florida will likely need to beat #18 Arkansas and/or #6 Kentucky to jump from Lunardi’s ‘Next Four Out’ to ‘Last Four In’. Florida has struggled mightily against the nation’s top talent, as the Gators are just 2-7 when facing Quad One teams, so wins against the Razorbacks or Wildcats would go a long way.
Fortunately for Florida, they now know that they have the potential to pull off another conference upset. Senior Center Colin Castleton has been a force in the paint, leading Florida with 15.7 PPG, 9.1 RPG, and 2.7 BPG. Senior Guard Tyree Appleby has also been a consistent source of offense for Florida, averaging 10.7 PPG, 2.1 RPG, and 3.7 APG. While Florida’s love to shoot the three-point ball is a great plan to lead to a March Madness upset, the shots need to fall. This hasn’t been the case in Gainesville, as the Gators have made just 216 of their 709 (30.4%) three-point attempts this season. This has caused Florida to become a defensive-minded team, as five of their players average at least 1.0 SPG and have totaled 232 steals over the season. If Florida can make their three-pointers, the Gators will be a team to watch for in March.
3. Florida State’s NCAA Tournament Resume
Cumulative Record: 14-13, 7-10 ACC
Quad Records: 2-5 in Quad One, 3-4 in Quad Two, 4-3 in Quad Three, 5-1 in Quad Four
NET Ranking: 107
Kenpom Ranking: 110
Major Wins: 65-64 W vs Miami, 76-71 W @ Syracuse, 79-78 W vs #6 Duke, 61-60 W @ Miami
Major Losses: 55-71 L @ Florida, 65-93 L @ Purdue, 54-76 L @ Wake Forest, 61-75 L @ Georgia Tech, 60-68 L vs Wake Forest, 74-94 L @ North Carolina, 70-88 L @ #9 Duke
Remaining Schedule: @ Virginia, vs Notre Dame, vs NC State
Florida State’s Tournament Outlook
After finishing second in the ACC and making it to the Sweet 16 as a No. 4 seed in last season’s March Madness tournament, the Seminoles will not be a part of this year’s dance. With three conference games left to go, Florida State will notch its worst ACC Conference record since the 2017-2018 season (9-9). The Seminoles’ talent level certainly took a hit this season, as four out of five of their leading scorers left for the draft or the transfer portal. This has resulted in Florida State becoming a much more beatable opponent, as Georgia Tech, Clemson, Boston College, and Pittsburgh have all beat the Seminoles at least once, despite posting a combined 19-46 conference play record. It would be in Florida State’s best interest to shift their focus into rebounding into one of the ACC’s finest next season.