Is Florida basketball a contender? ESPN ranks top teams into tiers

These last six weeks have seen Florida outduel three ranked opponents, with the most notable win of this resurrection stretch coming on the road against No. 10 Vanderbilt. It was here that center Rueben Chinyelu led the team in points, rebounds, and assists, reigniting chatter of a possible repeat bid by the Gators.

The SEC Defensive Player of the Year candidate is on pace to be the first Gator in half a century to average double-figure rebounds.

As Jeff Borzello and Myron Medcalf exclaim in the most recent men's college basketball tiers, Todd Golden's team shows both preeminent strength and striking weaknesses. So while the Gators have the capability to make another deep tournament run, they sit aside Alabama, Arkansas and Vanderbilt, among others, in the "Second-Weekend Threats" tier.

"Florida has gotten its act together over the past six weeks in a reversal that has rebooted talk of a back-to-back national championship run for the Gators. But their lineups that include Boogie Fland and Xaivian Lee together are rated 126th in overall efficiency among the two-player lineups in the SEC, per EvanMiya," Metcalf notes.

If they are to dance to the tournament's later rounds, it'll be because of their continued dominance on the offensive glass. In their recent five-game win streak, Florida out-rebounded opponents, 105-59.

To this end, the Gators' interior depth can indeed prove crucial come March. Forward Alex Condon has been a valuable asset for Golden, averaging of 16 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 steals in the last three wins against ranked opponents — not to mention a near triple-double this past Wednesday against South Carolina in the third straight SEC road win for the club.

Golden had this to say about Condon following his all-around effort against the Gamecocks.

“I thought he was fantastic tonight. I thought he did a great job of taking what the defense gives him. We put a lot on him to be a playmaker in the middle of the floor and a decision maker on the low block. And he’s just been fantastic. He had eight assists tonight, only two turnovers, almost a double-double, 10 points, nine rebounds. I thought he was great defensively on his switches and Condo gave us a great, great effort tonight.”

Accompanied by other teams like Michigan State, Kansas, and Virginia on the “Second-Weekend Threats” tier, Florida has reasserted itself as one of March’s most dangerous variables. With elite offensive rebounding and growing interior depth, the Gators possess the kind of physical identity that travels in the NCAA Tournament.

If this late-season momentum carries forward, Tier III may prove less a ceiling than a starting point.

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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: ESPN ranks Florida basketball among title-contending tiers