“Duke narrowly edged Florida as the No. 1 overall seed in the latest simulation from the CBS Sports Bracketology model following the NBA draft withdrawal deadline,” authors David Cobb and Jacob Fetner offer.<\/p>\n
Cobb and Fetner cite the Blue Devils’ addition of John Blackwell, who was ranked third among all transfer portal candidates, along with the nation’s No. 1 recruiting class, as reasons for the change at the top of the projections. They also note the return of key rotation players Cayden Boozer, Caleb Foster, Dame Sarr and Patrick Ngongba as contributors to Duke’s ascent.<\/p>\n
However, Florida had an impressive offseason as well, with its starting frontcourt \u2014 arguably the best in the country last year \u2014 all withdrawing from the NBA draft to return for another run with the Orange and Blue.<\/p>\n
“The Gators are bringing back four starters, including three in Thomas Haugh, Alex Condon and Rueben Chinyelu, who played key roles on the program’s 2025 title team. There is, however, uncertainty over whether guard Denzel Aberdeen will get an NCAA waiver to play a fifth season.<\/p>\n
Need a news break? Check out the all new PLAY hub with puzzles, games and more!<\/a><\/p>\n “Regardless, the Gators are neck and neck with Duke for the No. 1 overall seed in our Bracketology model’s offseason evaluation.”<\/p>\n SEC schools in ESPN’s 2027 bracketology<\/p>\n The Southeastern Conference<\/a> has 10 schools \u2014 down from 11 in the previous update<\/a> \u2014 mentioned in this edition of CBS Sports’ bracketology, which puts it two behind the Big Ten and one behind the Big 12; the ACC has nine to round out the Power Four conferences. The only other leagues with more than two among the 76-team field are the Big East with five, and the Pac-12 and Atlantic 10 with a pair.<\/p>\n Florida remains the highest-seeded team of the bunch at No. 1 in the South, while the Tennessee Volunteers<\/a>\u00a0moved up to a No. 3 seed in the East. Following them are the Vanderbilt Commodores (No. 4, Midwest), Texas Longhorns<\/a>\u00a0(No. 4, West), Arkansas Razorbacks (No. 5, South), Alabama Crimson Tide<\/a>\u00a0(No. 5, West), Kentucky Wildcats<\/a>\u00a0(No. 7, Midwest), Auburn Tigers<\/a>\u00a0(No. 8, West), Missouri Tigers (No. 9, East) and Texas A&M Aggies<\/a>\u00a0(No. 9, Midwest).<\/p>\n The LSU Tigers<\/a> are listed among the first four out, while the\u00a0Georgia Bulldogs<\/a>\u00a0dropped out of the bracketology after previously being seeded at No. 10 in the Midwest.<\/p>\n CBS Sports’ 2027 NCAA Tournament BracketologySeedEastMidwestSouthWest1DukeUConnFloridaHouston2IllinoisMichiganArizonaGonzaga3TennesseeIowa StateMichigan StVirginia4KansasVanderbiltSt. John’sTexas5LouisvillePurdueArkansasAlabama6Ohio StateMiamiTexas TechNebraska7VillanovaKentuckyUNCUSC8UCLAClemsonBYUAuburn9MissouriTexas A&MIndianaVCU10ASU\/WisconsinCincinnatiMarquetteNC State11Oregon\/WVASDSU\/MarylandSt Louis\/SMUOSU\/Prov12High PointWichita StVT\/BaylorGrand Canyon13UNCWMiami (OH)McNeeseSt Mary’s14HarvardIllinois-ChiW KentuckyUCSB15R. Morris\/JMUNDSU\/AmericanTarleton StVermont16Merri\/W CarSEMS\/BCUHoward\/JaxMont St\/LIULast Four InBaylorVirginia TechOregonSan Diego StateFirst Four Out Follow us\u00a0@GatorsWire<\/a>\u00a0on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as Bluesky<\/a>, and like our page on\u00a0Facebook<\/a>\u00a0to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators<\/a> news, notes and opinions.<\/p>\n![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/82604684007-20250322-t-011042-z-779806020-mt-1-usatoday-25734617-rtrmadp-3-ncaabasketballncaatournam.webp\")