Gators slip back onto CBS Sports’ NCAA Tournament bracketology

The Gators scored their biggest win of the season on Wednesday night against the second-ranked Tennessee Volunteers in a 67-54 upset victory inside the O’Connell Center. Prior to the triumph, Florida basketball’s postseason hopes were quickly diminishing but now things are looking a little brighter in Gainesville.

Now that the Quadrant 1 win is in the books, the major bracketologies have also started to take notice, returning the Orange and Blue back to the NCAA Tournament bubble. Among those feeling more bullish on Todd Golden’s team is CBS Sports’ Jerry Palm, who put the Gators in his First Four Out tier — the final tier in his bracket — along with the Northwestern Wildcats and Texas A&M Aggies (who beat Florida twice already this season) ahead of them and the Oklahoma State Cowboys in the final spot.

ESPN’s Joe Lunardi and Sports Illustrated’s Kevin Sweeney both assigned Florida to their First Four Out tiers, which is the group ahead of the Next Four Out, in their respective bracketology updates.

Next up for Florida are the Kentucky Wildcats who host the Gators inside Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky, on Saturday, Feb. 4. The ‘Cats have won five-straight SEC games after a sluggish start. Tipoff is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. EST and can be followed by watching ESPN or listening to the Gators IMG Sports Network.