Todd Golden: 'We have the 1-seed in the NCAA Tournament on the line' in Nashville

Florida head coach Todd Golden was on-hand for Thursday night’s SEC Tournament matchup between Mississippi State and Missouri. The winner will play Florida in the semifinals on Friday, and was joined by some of his players to scout their upcoming oppenent.

Joined by ESPN sideline reporter Molly McGrath, she asked Golden what his team’s goal for the week is. Golden revealed that their main focus is winning the conference championship, and believes doing so will help solidify their spot among the top four seeds in March Madness.

“I’m really proud of our guys and the way we played all year. To be 27-4 at this point is amazing, but we still have a lot to play for,” Golden said. “I think we have the 1-seed in the NCAA tournament on the line, and if we play well this weekend, I think we’ll be that last 1-seed.”

The Gators not only are 23 games above .500, but they did so by winning 14 of 18 games against SEC competition — a league which could send up to 13 teams to the NCAA Tournament this year. They’re one of the highest-scoring teams in the country, as well as 8-4 against Quad 1 opponents.

Golden went down the roster and named almost every player in his regular rotation off the top of his head when asked what makes him think they have a shot at winning the championship.

“I think we’ve been really consistent all year,” Golden explained. “We’re very deep, obviously have great guard play with Walter [Clayton], Alijah [Martin], Will [Richard], Denzel [Aberdeen]. And then our front court is really deep. Getting Micah [Handlogten] back, and [Alex] Condon are playing at a really, really high level.

“Tommy [Haugh] is playing great. Rueben [Chinyelu] has done a great job for us all year. So [we] go 9-10 deep, and you know, we’ve been really consistent all year. We had some great wins at Auburn, at Alabama, and I think we have a chance to have a really good end of the year.”

Florida also finished the season 15-1 at home this season. The Gators’ lone loss one their home floor came against Missouri 83-82 in Gainesville on Jan. 14. If they hold on against Mississippi State on Thursday night, Florida will be able to exact their revenge on the Tigers.

Regardless of its opponent, Florida will take on either the Bulldogs or Tigers on Friday evening in the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET and will air live on the SEC Network.