Defending national champion Florida is a No. 1 seed for March Madness, Houston lurking in South

Defending national champion Florida's path to another Final Four could include a rematch with Houston, whom it beat in the final a year ago, only this time in a South Region finale that would be played just a short drive from the Cougars' campus.

The Gators were chosen as one of the four No. 1 seeds for the NCAA Tournament on Sunday.

The SEC regular-season champions will open against the winner of a First Four game on Wednesday between Prairie View A&M and Lehigh on Friday in Tampa, Florida, getting the benefit of a close opening weekend of games. The second-seeded Cougars will play No. 15 seed Idaho on Thursday in Oklahoma City.

Yet it’s not hard to look ahead to a potential regional finale between the Gators and Cougars at the Toyota Center, which is less than three miles away from the Fertitta Center, where Houston celebrated with its fans on Sunday at a selection watch party.

“We try to be very consistent with our program. We’re not going to be reactive in regards to when we’re winning that we don’t practice hard,” Gators coach Todd Golden said after their loss to Vanderbilt on Saturday in the semifinals of the SEC tourney.

“Part of what makes our program what it is is our consistency,” he said. “We’re not going to change a lot.”

Third-seeded Illinois and fourth-seeded Nebraska could have something to say about that Florida-Houston rematch.

The Illini, who had struggled down the stretch and lost to Wisconsin in the Big Ten Tournament, will open against No. 14 seed Penn — the Ivy League tourney champ — on Thursday in Greenville, South Carolina.

“We’re a possession away in a lot of games from being one of the best teams record-wise in the country. I still think we’re one of the best teams in the country,” Illinois coach Brad Underwood said. “We’ve just got to stay focused.”

Big chance for Big Red

The Huskers slumped a little after a 20-0 start but are back in the NCAA Tournament with a matchup against No. 13 seed Troy on Thursday in Oklahoma City.

Nebraska has never won a game in the NCAA Tournament, losing its opener in each of its eight previous appearances. That includes a loss two years ago as the No. 8 seed to Texas A&M in Fred Hoiberg’s first time taking the Huskers to the dance.

The No. 4 seed is the best for Nebraska since it was the No. 3 in 1991 and lost its opener to No. 14 seed Xavier.

Getting familiar

Seventh-seeded Saint Mary’s is making its fifth straight NCAA Tournament appearance and will play No. 10 seed Texas A&M, which is in the tourney for the fourth straight time. But it’s the Aggies’ first playing “Bucky Ball” — the name given to the style of basketball it plays under Bucky McMillan, who succeeded Buzz Williams as their coach this season.

Speaking of familiar

Iowa is back in the NCAA Tournament as the No. 9 seed and will play eighth-seeded Clemson in the first round. The Hawkeyes are led by Ben McCollum, who took Drake to the second round of the tourney last season. The year before that? McCollum was the coach at Northwest Missouri State, a Division II school that he turned into a national power.

Tar Heels trouble

North Carolina slipped to the No. 6 seed and will play its NCAA tourney opener against No. 11 seed VCU, which won the Atlantic-10 Tournament. The Tar Heels’ seeding took a hit with a loss to Clemson in the ACC Tournament and, perhaps more likely, the injury to star freshman Caleb Wilson. His broken thumb required surgery and effectively ended his season.

The other South matchup

Vanderbilt earned the No. 5 seed after reaching its first SEC Tournament title game in 14 years, losing to Arkansas on Sunday, and will play No. 12 seed McNeese in the first round. The winner of that game gets the Nebraska-Troy winner in the second round.

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AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness