The Florida Gators men’s basketball team will start the season outside of the Associated Press’ top 25, but UF did pick up three votes in the preseason poll released Monday.
Florida hasn’t started the season ranked since 2018, and there was little reason to think that the pattern would change with a new head coach in place. Todd Golden’s Gators will have to prove themselves on the hardwood, and the schedule is loaded with opportunities.
Aside from conference play — which features matchups with No. 4 Kentucky, No. 10 Arkansas, No. 11 Tennessee, No. 15 Auburn and No. 20 Alabama — Florida could also end up playing No. 7 Duke and No. 2 Gonzaga if it hits a winning streak at the Phil Knight Legacy Tournament.
Even if Florida ends up losing and playing other teams in that tournament, Florida State and Xavier are both on the schedule in November. Both of those programs received more votes in the preseason AP Poll than Florida and would be Quadrant 1 wins if the Gators prevailed.
A full look at the AP poll for men’s basketball.
| Rank | Team | Record | Points | Trend |
| 1 | North Carolina | 0-0 | 1,532 | – |
| 2 | Gonzaga | 0-0 | 1,479 | -1 |
| 3 | Purdue | 0-0 | 1,404 | +12 |
| 4 | Kentucky | 0-0 | 1,364 | +3 |
| 5 | Baylor | 0-0 | 1,200 | -2 |
| 5 | Kansas | 0-0 | 1,200 | -1 |
| 7 | Duke | 0-0 | 1,168 | +2 |
| 8 | UCLA | 0-0 | 1,093 | +3 |
| 9 | Creighton | 0-0 | 1,060 | – |
| 10 | Arkansas | 0-0 | 1,026 | +7 |
| 11 | Tennessee | 0-0 | 880 | -6 |
| 12 | Texas | 0-0 | 844 | +13 |
| 13 | Indiana | 0-0 | 745 | – |
| 14 | TCU | 0-0 | 735 | – |
| 15 | Auburn | 0-0 | 623 | -7 |
| 16 | Villanova | 0-0 | 578 | -10 |
| 17 | Arizona | 0-0 | 543 | -15 |
| 18 | Virgnia | 0-0 | 462 | – |
| 19 | San Diego St. | 0-0 | 394 | – |
| 20 | Alabama | 0-0 | 281 | – |
| 21 | Oregon | 0-0 | 260 | – |
| 22 | Michigan | 0-0 | 229 | – |
| 23 | Illinois | 0-0 | 215 | -4 |
| 24 | Dayton | 0-0 | 170 | – |
| 25 | Texas Tech | 0-0 | 122 | -13 |
Others Receiving Votes
Texas A&M 112, UConn 101, Miami (FL) 66, Purdue 56, Saint Louis 36, Michigan State 35, Florida State 32, Xavier 29, Wyoming 25, Ohio State 23, Iowa 13, Rutgers 4, Florida 3, USC 3, Virginia Tech 1, Memphis 1, Toledo 1, Notre Dame 1, UAB 1
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