The Gators have earned back-to-back No. 1 seeds for the first time in school history.
Men's Basketball Earns No. 1 Seed, Opens NCAA Tournament Friday in Tampa
Sunday, March 15, 2026 | Men's Basketball
The Southeastern Conference regular season champion Florida men's basketball team has earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament for the second straight season and will take on the winner of the First Four game between Prairie View A&M and Lehigh. Florida opens action on Friday in Tampa at Benchmark International Arena, with tip set for 9:25 p.m. on TNT.
The Gators make their 24th all-time NCAA Tournament appearance and third in a row under fourth-year head coach Todd Golden, who has led UF to a 6-1 record in the NCAA Tournament, including last season's national championship.
The 26-7 Gators captured a 1-seed for the fourth time in program history and the first time in back-to-back seasons (previously 2007, 2014 and 2025). In Florida's three previous NCAA Tournaments as a 1-seed, UF twice captured the national championship (2007, 2025) and once reached the Final Four (2014).
The Gators have never played Lehigh and won their lone matchup vs. Prairie View A&M in 2006. The winner of Florida's first-round matchup will take on the winner of Clemson and Iowa on Sunday in Tampa.
Ticket Information
Florida Gators men's basketball season ticket holders have exclusive access to request NCAA tournament tickets within the Florida Gators seating block and can place their requests now at FloridaGators.com.
Due to the limited number of tickets provided to each team from the NCAA for the First and Second Round, we regretfully will not be able to fill orders from season ticket holders for these rounds.
The deadline to request tickets for all rounds is Monday, March 16th at 1:00pm.
General public ticket information is available at NCAATickets.com.
The 26-7 Gators captured a 1-seed for the fourth time in program history and the first time in back-to-back seasons (previously 2007, 2014 and 2025). In Florida's three previous NCAA Tournaments as a 1-seed, UF twice captured the national championship (2007, 2025) and once reached the Final Four (2014).
The Gators have never played Lehigh and won their lone matchup vs. Prairie View A&M in 2006. The winner of Florida's first-round matchup will take on the winner of Clemson and Iowa on Sunday in Tampa.
Ticket Information
Florida Gators men's basketball season ticket holders have exclusive access to request NCAA tournament tickets within the Florida Gators seating block and can place their requests now at FloridaGators.com.
Due to the limited number of tickets provided to each team from the NCAA for the First and Second Round, we regretfully will not be able to fill orders from season ticket holders for these rounds.
The deadline to request tickets for all rounds is Monday, March 16th at 1:00pm.
General public ticket information is available at NCAATickets.com.
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