No. 1 Seed Line: Florida Gators

It's relatively uncommon for a team to miss the NCAA tournament the year after winning it all, but it does happen.

Well, at any rate, it used to happen surprisingly often.

Connecticut won in 2014 and missed the 2015 Dance. Kentucky was 2012 champ before losing to Robert Morris in the 2013 NIT. North Carolina won it all in 2009 and then suffered 17 losses in 2010. And if it happened to Florida next year, it wouldn't even be the first time. After back-to-back titles in 2006 and 2007, the Gators missed the tournament in 2008.

And after losing its three leading scorers and entire starting backcourt, it's plausible Florida could fall flat next season.

Two major outstanding variables are the NBA draft decisions of both Thomas Haugh and Alex Condon.

If both would-be rising juniors return to Gainesville while coach Todd Golden adds a veteran guard or two via the portal, the Gators should be in business.

But B/R's Jonathan Wasserman has both big men projected as second-round picks, while quite a few other post-tournament mocks have Condon penciled in as a late first-round pick.

And if they both leave, yikes. All of a sudden, you're talking about a projected starting five of Denzel Aberdeen, Rueben Chinyelu, Sam Alexis and two 4-star freshmen.

Inevitably, Golden will make some portal additions. Perhaps he'll wear the championship net on those recruiting visits to seal the deal on a big fish or two. But let's see what the two big men decide to do and what this backcourt looks like a month from now.