It is officially March Madness for men’s college basketball now that the NCAA Tournament bracket — as well as the National Invitation Tournament and College Basketball Invitational — are set as we enter the most exciting phase of the season. While plenty of programs such as the Florida Gators are disappointed in where they will be playing this month there are still games remaining to be played.
Ahead of tournament season, the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll was released predictably omitting the Orange and Blue from its tally. Sadly, the Gators have been voteless for most of the 2023 calendar year and will remain so regardless of how they perform in the NIT.
Next up for Florida are the Central Florida Knights, who the fourth-seeded Gators host inside the O’Connell Center on Wednesday for the first round of the NIT. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. EDT and the game can be watched on ESPN2 or heard on Gator Sports Network.
A look at the full Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports:
| Rank | Team | Record | Points | Change |
| 1 | Houston | 31-3 | 777 (21) | – |
| 2 | Alabama | 29-5 | 759 (8) | +3 |
| 3 | Purdue | 29-5 | 728 (2) | – |
| 4 | Marquette | 28-6 | 654 | +2 |
| 5 | Kansas | 27-7 | 652 (1) | -1 |
| 6 | UCLA | 29-5 | 649 | -4 |
| 7 | Texas | 26-8 | 647 | – |
| 8 | Arizona | 28-6 | 608 | +1 |
| 9 | Gonzaga | 28-5 | 546 | -1 |
| 10 | Virginia | 25-7 | 418 | +1 |
| 11 | Baylor | 22-10 | 399 | -1 |
| 12 | Connecticut | 25-8 | 391 | +2 |
| 13 | Kansas State | 23-9 | 370 | -1 |
| 14 | Xavier | 25-9 | 369 | +1 |
| 15 | Miami | 25-7 | 342 | -2 |
| 16 | Duke | 26-8 | 334 | +5 |
| 17 | Texas A&M | 25-9 | 289 | +1 |
| 18 | San Diego St | 27-6 | 266 | +2 |
| 19 | Saint Mary’s | 26-7 | 240 | -3 |
| 19 | Indiana | 22-11 | 240 | -2 |
| 21 | Tennessee | 23-10 | 153 | -2 |
| 22 | Creighton | 21-12 | 118 | – |
| 23 | Texas Christian | 21-12 | 117 | – |
| 24 | Missouri | 24-9 | 65 | +6 |
| 25 | Florida Atlantic | 31-3 | 54 | +3 |
Schools Dropped Out
No. 24 Kentucky; No. 25 Northwestern
Others Receiving Votes
Iowa State 47; Kentucky 29; Penn St. 24; Northwestern 23; Providence 21; Oral Roberts 20; Utah St. 14; VCU 9; Maryland 6; Kent St. 6; NC State 5; Memphis 4; Pittsburgh 3; Charleston 3; Michigan St. 1
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