Todd Golden’s Florida basketball program had a solid week of play, easily handling the Florida A&M Rattlers before routing the Florida State Seminoles — both inside the friendly confines of the O’Connell Center.
While neither victory came against a ranked team and both represent part of the early non-conference schedule, it was enough to earn some recognition after failing to land a vote in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll update last week.
This time around, the Gators were given a pair of votes breathing life back into their top-25 aspirations. That made them one of nine Southeastern Conference programs mentioned in the Week 3 rankings.
Five SEC schools are included among the top 25, headlined by the No. 8 Tennessee Volunteers, followed by the Texas A&M Aggies (No. 13), Alabama Crimson Tide (No. 15), Kentucky Wildcats (No. 16) and the Mississippi State Bulldogs taking up the rear.
The Arkansas Razorbacks fell out of the top 25 from No. 14 last week and sit just outside with 83 votes. The Auburn Tigers (29) and South Carolina Gamecocks (7) also earned votes.
The Virginia Cavaliers, who handed the Orange and Blue their only loss in four tries this fall, moved up to No. 18.
Next up for the Gators are the Pittsburgh Panthers, who they face in the first of two NIT Season Tip-Off tournament matchups held in Brooklyn, New York. Opening tipoff is scheduled for 9:30 p.m. ET and can be watched on ESPN2 or ESPNU.
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