If Florida is to break its streak of NIT appearances this year, they better get on a roll. And do it Now. The Gators are now 0-2 in SEC play. To have a realistic shot at the NCAA Tournament, they would need to go 9-7 I believe. There is also that Xavier game Staring them in the face that could be the swing game. Beat Xavier, 9-7 should do it. Lose and it may take a 10-6 effort.

Looking at the way the schedule ends, the last five games look pretty tough. At Ole Miss, Tennessee, At Georgia, Vanderbilt, and at Kentucky is the way the regular season closes out. That’s brutal. Georgia and Vandy look to be the most winnable of those games. Maybe UT if they don’t let the three outlaws back in. They could be worn down by then.

UF’s best be though is to get on a roll the next ten games and not have to worry about those final five. It starts Saturday at home against LSU. The Tigers are awful. They are also 0-2 in league play, losing at home to Alabama and also at South Carolina. The Gators need that one. A loss would be catastrophic.

Looking at the rest of the league play up until those last five, Alabama, Arkansas and Auburn also look beatable. The tough ones the will be Arkansas on the road and Auburn on the road. But those teams are not that good this year. They need those three. Then in the East, they would need to get to 5-5. Since they are already 0-2 and still have a game at Kentucky, that means the Gators need 5 out of the remaining 7 SEC East games. That means a Sweep against Georgia and South Carolina and a win over Vandy at home, or a split against South Carolina and Tennessee with a win over Vandy. It looks as if the games that cost the Gators last year, losing on the road at South Carolina and Georgia, will be the crucial games again this year. They will have to win those two unless they can finally get a win against Tennessee. They also need that Xavier game.

9-7 with wins out of conference against Michigan State, Florida State, North Carolina State, and Xavier should get Florida in. Anything less is going to require a deep SEC Tournament run. With Kentucky, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Vanderbilt and Tennessee there, that appears unlikely. The Gator Boys need to get hot, and do it quickly.