It’s been an exciting two-game stretch for the Florida State basketball team, which has torched opponents by over 70 points the past two games to earn a pair of SEC wins.
Both wins came on the road against the South Carolina Gamecocks — a record-setting 95-48 loss — and were followed by a 100-77 home victory over the Alabama Crimson Tide. Things are looking good for Gainesville with just nine games remaining in the regular season.
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Looking ahead to the playoffs, the Gators have made some progress in ESPN’s latest rankings, rising from the No. 4 seed in the Midwest Region to the No. 3 seed in the East. There, they will be paired with the 14th-seeded Winthrop Eagles in a first-round game in Tampa, Florida.
Top seeds in ESPN’s 2026 rankings update
There are no changes to the top seeds this time around, with the Arizona Wildcats still firmly holding the top seed and the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, while the Michigan Wolverines retain the No. 1 seed in the Midwest. The UConn Huskies remain atop the South and the Duke Blue Devils remain atop the East.
SEC schools in ESPN’s 2026 rankings update
In the latest update, the Southeastern Conference maintained representation among its 10 member schools, ranking behind the Big Ten among the four major conferences and ahead of the ACC (eight) and the Big 12 (seven).
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Florida jumped to the No. 3 seed in the East and made the SEC’s only headlines, while the Vanderbilt Commodores remained the No. 4 seed in the West; meanwhile, Alabama was ranked No. 5 in the South and the Tennessee Volunteers moved up to No. 5 in the East. They are followed by the Arkansas Razorbacks (No. 6, South), Auburn Tigers (No. 7, West), Kentucky Wildcats (No. 7, Midwest), Texas A&M Aggies (No. 7, South), Georgia Bulldogs (No. 9, Midwest) and Texas Longhorns (No. 11, West).
The Horns remain the last team standing in the tournament, while the Missouri Tigers are the next four teams ranked.
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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: ESPN rankings update for Florida basketball following Alabama win
