Florida’s SEC Surge Has Them Eyeing a Championship Triple Crown
The Florida Gators are chasing something special. After capturing the SEC Tournament title and the national championship in 2025, Todd Golden’s squad is now in prime position to complete the trifecta with an SEC regular season crown in 2026. And with just seven games left in the regular season, the Gators are in the driver’s seat-and pulling away.
The bye weeks are officially in the rearview mirror, and every SEC team has played 11 games. That means the stretch run is here, and the standings are starting to take shape. The picture is far from finalized, but one thing is clear: everyone is chasing Florida.
Since a home stumble against Auburn on January 24, the Gators have ripped off four straight SEC wins-all in dominant fashion. They’ve surged into the top five of the computer rankings, and their remaining schedule looks manageable.
With no more games left against Alabama, Tennessee, or Vanderbilt, Florida’s biggest remaining hurdle is this weekend’s matchup against Kentucky in Gainesville. If the Wildcats can’t pull off the upset, Florida will be the odds-on favorite to secure its first SEC regular season title since 2014.
The SEC Title Race Could Be Decided This Weekend
Saturday’s showdown at the O’Connell Center between Florida and Kentucky could be a turning point in the conference race. Kentucky is one of the few teams still within striking distance, and a win would inject some chaos into the standings. But if Florida holds serve at home, the path to the title becomes even clearer.
Beyond the top spot, the race for SEC Tournament seeding is heating up-particularly the battle for the coveted double-bye slots. The top four teams in the final standings get to skip the first two rounds in Nashville, and with eight teams either holding or within a game of those positions, it’s a full-blown dogfight.
Current SEC Standings (Through 11 Games)
- Florida (9-2)
- Kentucky (8-3)
- Arkansas (8-3)
- Vanderbilt (7-4)
- Tennessee (7-4)
- Alabama (7-4)
- Missouri (7-4)
- Texas A&M (7-4)
- Texas (6-5)
- Georgia (5-6)
- Auburn (5-6)
- Ole Miss (3-8)
- Mississippi State (3-8)
- South Carolina (2-9)
- LSU (2-9)
- Oklahoma (2-9)
The midweek slate gave us a glimpse of how competitive this league really is. Florida, Arkansas, Vanderbilt, Tennessee, Alabama, and Missouri all went on the road and came away with wins-a rare feat in SEC play. That created a seven-team logjam in the middle of the standings, with everyone jockeying for position and tiebreakers starting to play a major role.
Tiebreaker Madness: Who Has the Edge?
When multiple teams are tied, head-to-head records and pool wins become critical. Here’s a quick breakdown of how the current five-team tie at 7-4 shakes out:
- Vanderbilt (1-0 in the pool) has the best win (Kentucky) and holds the tiebreaker edge.
- Tennessee (2-0) is undefeated in the pool and looking strong.
- Alabama (2-2) and Missouri (1-1) are sitting at .500 in pool play, but Alabama holds the head-to-head over Mizzou.
- Texas A&M (0-3) is on the outside looking in for now.
It’s a tangled mess, and with unbalanced schedules across the conference, it’s only going to get more complicated. This is exactly why many around the league have been pushing for a 20-game conference schedule-to bring more clarity to situations like this.
Projected Final Standings (via KenPom Projections)
- Florida (15-3)
- Arkansas (12-6)
- Tennessee (12-6)
- Vanderbilt (12-6)
- Alabama (12-6)
- Texas A&M (11-7)
- Kentucky (11-7)
- Missouri (10-8)
- Georgia (9-9)
- Auburn (9-9)
- Texas (9-9)
- Ole Miss (6-12)
- Mississippi State (5-13)
- Oklahoma (5-13)
- LSU (4-14)
- South Carolina (4-14)
The projections suggest Florida will separate from the pack, but from the No. 2 seed down to No. 7, it’s a razor-thin margin. Just one game separates six teams in that range, and tiebreakers could end up deciding everything from double-byes to first-round matchups.
Road wins this past week helped Vanderbilt, Tennessee, and Alabama climb the projected standings. Kentucky, meanwhile, is projected to drop a key game to Texas A&M, which would give the Aggies the tiebreaker edge for the No. 6 seed. With tiebreakers already in hand over Arkansas and Tennessee, and a potential split with Vanderbilt still in play, Kentucky could land anywhere from the 2-seed to the 8-seed depending on how these next few weeks shake out.
This Weekend’s SEC Slate: All Eyes on Gainesville
Every team is in action this weekend, and while some matchups look lopsided on paper, there are several games that could significantly impact the standings and seeding projections:
- Texas A&M at Vanderbilt (1 p.m. ET | SEC Network)
- Kentucky at Florida (3 p.m. ET | ABC)
- Georgia at Oklahoma (3:30 p.m. ET | SEC Network)
- LSU at Tennessee (6 p.m. ET | SEC Network)
- Mississippi State at Ole Miss (6:30 p.m. ET | ESPN)
- Texas at Missouri (8:30 p.m. ET | ESPN2)
- Auburn at Arkansas (8:30 p.m. ET | ESPN)
- South Carolina at Alabama (8:30 p.m. ET | SEC Network)
The headliner, of course, is Kentucky vs. Florida. It’s not just a battle between two of the league’s best-it could determine the regular season title and reshape the top of the bracket.
But don’t sleep on what’s happening elsewhere. Texas A&M and Vanderbilt are both 7-4 and fighting for a crucial tiebreaker at Memorial Gym.
Missouri returns home after a big win in College Station, but Texas brings one of the most efficient offenses in the country. Auburn, despite its struggles, already owns a win over Florida and routed Arkansas by 22 earlier this season.
If they pull off the sweep at Bud Walton Arena, it could send shockwaves through the standings.
Buckle Up for the Stretch Run
This is what college basketball fans live for-tight races, tiebreaker drama, and meaningful games every night. Florida may be leading the charge, but there’s still plenty left to be decided in the SEC. With seven games to go and a cluster of contenders behind them, the race for seeding, byes, and bragging rights is just heating up.