Last year, the Florida Gators defeated the Houston Cougars in the final game of the NCAA Tournament as Todd Golden's team was crowned the champions of college basketball.
This year, the big question is whether or not Florida can repeat and cut down the nets once again. Florida enters March Madness with a 26-7 record, but that includes non-conference losses to Arizona, TCU, UConn and Duke, all of which are in the Field of 68.
The Gators also lost SEC games to Missouri and Auburn, and they were stunned in a 91-74 loss to Vanderbilt in the SEC Tournament semifinal round.
Still, there are high hopes for Florida, but being in a region with Houston and Illinois was a bit of an unlucky draw.
Ahead of their Round of 64 game, ESPN's Jeff Borzello polled scouts and coaches to discuss Florida's fatal flaw.
"The Gators are still very much a threat to go back-to-back, but their 324th nationally ranked 3-point shooting percentage reared its head against both Vanderbilt and Kentucky in the SEC tournament: They went a combined 8-for-37 from 3," Borzello wrote.
One coach agreed with that as well.
"It's perimeter shooting, as a whole," one SEC coach said. "To me, they've only had two guys that have consistently made shots…The other guys have been, at best, inconsistent."
There has been a lot of inconsistent play from Florida, and some were surprised that the Gators earned a No. 1 seed after a 17-point loss to Vanderbilt in the SEC Tournament.
Florida is Missing Walter Clayton Jr.
Another concern is that the Gators don't have Walter Clayton Jr., who went in the NBA Draft after winning the title last time around.
"I don't think this team is as good as it was last year," an opposing coach said, via Jeff Borzello. "That team had three guards that got drafted, and their best player was Walter Clayton. … That team was really, really good. This team is too, but that one was a different level."
Florida begins with No. 16 Prairie View A&M, and then the winner of Clemson-Iowa, and then a potential Sweet 16 matchup against Vanderbilt, if Nebraska doesn't win the Round of 32 game.
Related: ESPN Analyst Predicts NCAA Tournament South Region
This story was originally published by Lindys Sports on Mar 20, 2026, where it first appeared in the College Basketball section. Add Lindys Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.