Latest news with #DavidCobb
USA Today
18-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
CBS Sports projects Florida as No. 1 seed in way-too-early March Madness projections
Is it too early to start projecting the 2026 March Madness field? Bracketology experts never sleep, and CBS Sports Writer David Cobb is taking a stab at predicting which teams will make the NCAA Tournament eight months ahead of time. The Florida Gators are one of Cobb's four No. 1 seeds, landing in the East region against the winner of the Montana-Quinnipiac play-in projection for the No. 16 seed. Connecticut, Louisville and Texas Tech are behind UF in the East, in that order. The other No. 1 seeds are Houston (Midwest), Purdue (South) and St. John's (West). Cobb has 11 SEC teams making the field, with Georgia and Mississippi State in the first four out. The only three SEC teams not expected to compete for a March Madness spot are LSU, Oklahoma and South Carolina. While it may seem like a fool's errand to make these kinds of picks so far out from the actual tournament, there's a method to the madness here. With the transfer portal settling down and the NBA draft now complete, most Power Five rosters are in place. The occasional depth addition happens, but all the big transfer names are settled. Poor play, unexpected player development and injuries will impact these kinds of projections as the season goes on, but most preseason predictions aren't changing, at least in a drastic manner. Cobb leaned on Bart Torvik's preseason analytic projections for this exercise. Torvik is a tool the NCAA committee has begun using over the past few seasons, so this should be in line with what the decision-makers think coming into the fall. Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as Bluesky, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.
USA Today
16-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Where Florida basketball vs Duke ranks among 16 2025 ACC/SEC Challenge matchups
Where Florida basketball vs Duke ranks among 16 2025 ACC/SEC Challenge matchups The matchups for the 2025 edition of the men's basketball ACC/SEC Challenge were announced last week, with the Florida Gators slated to take on the Duke Blue Devils inside Cameron Indoor Stadium on December 2. This face-off between the Rowdy Reptiles and the Cameron Crazies represents a clash of two titans from the 2024-25 campaign, both of whom made it to the Final Four and were among the top-ranked teams in the nation down the stretch. Both programs also won their respective conference tournament championships last spring as well. So, where does the Florida-Duke matchup stand among the 16 total games in this year's edition of the ACC-SEC Challenge? CBS Sports writer David Cobb ranked every game from top to bottom based on competitive value while also offering his personal prediction. It should come as no surprise to fans of either school that the tussle in the Tar Heel State ranks at the top of that list. "Duke will put its top-ranked high school recruiting class to the test against the reigning national champions in a must-see showdown. On a neutral floor, the Gators and their returning convoy of bigs would be the play. At Cameron Indoor Stadium? Well, that's a different story," Cobb begins. "The Blue Devils have enough veteran savvy to combine with the newbies for what would amount to a critical victory in the ACC's efforts. Duke (+1300) and Florida (+1600) currently have the third- and fourth-best odds, respectively, to win the 2026 NCAA Tournament, according to FanDuel Sportsbook." Cobb picks the Blue Devils to prevail on that early December Tuesday. ACC/SEC Challenge matchup rankings Florida at Duke Louisville at Arkansas North Carolina at Kentucky NC State at Auburn Missouri at Notre Dame Tennessee at Syracuse SMU at Vanderbilt Clemson at Alabama Virginia at Texas Oklahoma at Wake Forest Miami at Ole Miss Texas A&M at Pitt Mississippi State at Georgia Tech Georgia at Florida State LSU at Boston College Virginia Tech at South Carolina Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as Bluesky, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.
