Florida Basketball: What Experts Say About Gators' NCAA Tournament Chances

The experts have a lot of good things to say about Florida’s chances this season. Well, until Missouri comes around. Unfortunately for the Gators, that is likely to be their second contest of the tournament.

Florida has a fast and explosive team that every expert likes and fans love to watch. Unfortunately for the Gators I am with the experts—I don’t see them making it very deep into the tourney.

The brackets have been selected by the experts and have hit the presses. Let’s take a look at the predictions from Dennis Dodd, Joe Lunardi, Dick Vital, Jay Bilas, Gregg Doyel and Jerry Palm.

Dennis Dodd, CBS

Dennis Dodd has spoken. The Gators will lose to Mizzou in the second round of the tournament. Take it at face value and with a grain of salt as he also has No. 5 seeded Temple losing to an uncertain opponent. As well, he has that yet-to-be-determined opponent moving into the Sweet 16. Interesting to say the least.

Joe Lunardi, ESPN Bracket Expert

Joe Lunardi doesn’t have an Earth-shattering prediction for the Gators. He has them marked in the same pool as most everyone else. The Gators, according to Lunardi, will fall in the second round to the Tigers of Mizzou.

He does point to the talent that Florida has and the fact that it will be a tough game for the Tigers to win. In the end, another expert has the Gators falling in Round 2. 

Dick Vital

Dick Vital is a fun guy to watch and listen to. His passion for the game is unmatched on television. Unfortunately, he doesn’t feel like sharing that same fervor with the Gators. Dickie V has the Gators falling in the second round to Mizzou. 

Jay Bilas, ESPN Bracket Expert

Jay Bilas is undoubtedly one of the best personalities in college basketball. Bilas likes the Gators to take Virginia pretty easily, but has the Gators falling in the second round. The Gators just can’t seem to win—as most every expert has them falling before the Sweet 16.

Gregg Doyel, CBS

Gregg Doyel brings few surprises to the table with his predictions. One that does catch most off-guard is Florida losing to Virginia in Round 1. For Virginia to win against the Gators they will have to play lights out. Doyel thinks the Cavaliers can do it.

Jerry Palm, CBS Bracket Expert

Jerry Palm is the owner and operator of collegerpi.com and also a bracket expert for CBSSports.com. Palm is under the same impression as Gregg Doyel , that the Gators will not make it past the first round contest with Virginia. Palm doesn’t stray far from the expected bracket outcome, but the loss to Virginia is one of the rare upsets found in his bracket prediction. 

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For your printable bracket for the 2012 NCAA tournament, click here