Winning the SEC Tournament has been a blessing and a curse for the Gators. In 2005, they won the SEC Tournament and lost in the NCAA second round to Villanova. And we all know what happened in 2006 and 2007.
It seems to me that Florida has enough of a resume, and is stable enough in the rankings, that winning the SEC would not have a significant impact. Consider that UF is 12 in both polls. Granted, this isn't an exact match, but it makes sense that UF is a projected three-seed by ESPN's Joe Lunardi. Meanwhile, SB Nation has a much higher opinion of the SEC, putting UF as a two-seed. That seeding appears to be based on UF's No. 10 RPI, despite the relative weakness of the other 11 teams in the SEC.
Using the AP, Coaches Poll or RPI, and UF still ends up outside of the top-eight and is a three-seed.
The one thing UF can fall back on is that the Gators will start the tournament in Tampa. The NCAA may be very stupid in determining what Big Ten schools should have their players and coaches be suspended, but they make money hand over fist on the tournament. That's another reason why UF could win the SEC Tournament and it not matter much: UF is locked into Tampa and there is no difference in playing a 14 or 15 seed in the first round. The NCAA will sell more tickets with UF in Tampa. There might be a difference in playing a 6 or 7 in round two, but UF is still favored by seeding and a substitute home-court. (Of course, you would never know that Tampa will be likely hosting the Gators in the NCAAs, since the Tampa Gator Club is more focused on scheduling a Spring Gator Rompin' ON THE SAME DAY AS ORANGE & BLUE. Nice planning.)
What do you think? I think if the Gators win Friday night against the winner of Tennessee/Arkansas, UF is solid at three. Win the tournament, and maybe UF gets a two. Lose on Friday, and we get a four, but still in Tampa. Either way, we cannot move much up or down.