With March Madness just around the corner, the Gator basketball team is certainly looking impressive enough to win it all.  As of press time, the team is ranked number 3 in the nation, with only 2 losses, both on the road to previously ranked teams. And with the recent addition to the team of Chris “Sky” Walker, the Gators have no intent of slowing down. 

After finally being cleared to play by the NCAA, Walker, a freshman, stands at 6 feet, 10 inches tall and looks to make an impact on coach Billy Donovan’s already stacked team. Walker hopes to nestle into the lineup among play makers Scottie Wilbekin and Pat Young, but being a freshman, he will have to compete for playtime against other forwards like Will Yeguete and Casey Prather. He showed flashes of brilliance in his limited playing time against Missouri, but we all have our fingers crossed we'll see more of him soon. 

Currently undefeated in the SEC, the Gator will certainly be tested when playing at Kentucky on Feb. 15. John Calipari’s Wildcats have not played up to the standard associated with the program, but are still not to be taken lightly, especially when playing in Rupp Arena. 

Kentucky’s big name this year is freshman Julius Randle, forward, who leads the team in both points and rebounds. But we can expect to see Pat Young and Casey Prather stay on top of their game and hopefully the Gators come home with a win. 

As we approach March, the last test of the Gators’ talent before March Madness will be the SEC Tournament, which starts March 12. If the Gators finish out the season playing the way they are now, the will most likely be a number 1 seed during the tournament, giving them a bye until the quarterfinals.

 This could be extremely beneficial to the team, getting a well-deserved rest before getting back into action. If the Gators win the SEC Tournament after winning out during the rest of the season, the team would surely get a number 1 seed for the NCAA Tournament as well. 

A number 1 seed won the last two NCAA Tournaments, so that could be a huge indicator of what would be to come during the tournament. With the first round starting on March 18, all we can do now is keep cheering on our Gators.