For the first time since 2019, the Florida Gators men’s basketball team will begin the regular season as a ranked team. The Associated Press released its preseason Top 25 poll on Monday, and the Orange and Blue check in at No. 21 in the country entering Year 3 of the Todd Golden era.
Florida briefly appeared in last year’s poll, occupying the No. 24 spot for two weeks in February. A first-round exit in the NCAA Tournament meant the Gators finished outside of the top 25, but retaining guards [autotag]Walter Clayton Jr[/autotag]. and [autotag]Will Richard[/autotag] has UF starting off the season higher than any point last season.
Florida joins eight other SEC programs in the preseason AP Poll — No. 2 Alabama, No. 11 Auburn, No. 12 Tennessee, No. 13 Texas A&M, No. 16 Arkansas, No. 19 Texas, No. 23 Kentucky and No. 24 Ole Miss. The Gators will face each of those teams during the regular season.
No. 9 North Carolina is also on Florida’s schedule this year, and three more opponents earned votes in the preseason poll.
Florida begins its season with a neutral site matchup on Nov. 4 against South Florida in Jacksonville. The home opener is three days later against Jacksonville University.
Preseason AP Top 25 Poll
| Rank | Team | Record | Trend | Points |
| 1 | Kansas | 0-0 | – | 1,449 (30) |
| 2 | Alabama | 0-0 | – | 1,428 (14) |
| 3 | UConn | 0-0 | – | 1,345 (11) |
| 4 | Houston | 0-0 | – | 1,343 (4) |
| 5 | Iowa State | 0-0 | – | 1,177 |
| 6 | Gonzaga | 0-0 | – | 1,157 (1) |
| 7 | Duke | 0-0 | – | 1,154 |
| 8 | Baylor | 0-0 | – | 1,109 |
| 9 | North Carolina | 0-0 | – | 1,037 |
| 10 | Arizona | 0-0 | – | 905 |
| 11 | Auburn | 0-0 | – | 901 |
| 12 | Tennessee | 0-0 | – | 775 |
| 13 | Texas A&M | 0-0 | – | 737 |
| 14 | Purdue | 0-0 | – | 678 |
| 15 | Creighton | 0-0 | – | 631 |
| 16 | Arkansas | 0-0 | – | 625 |
| 17 | Indiana | 0-0 | – | 492 |
| 18 | Marquette | 0-0 | – | 484 |
| 19 | Texas | 0-0 | – | 332 |
| 20 | Cincinnati | 0-0 | – | 271 |
| 21 | Florida | 0-0 | – | 249 |
| 22 | UCLA | 0-0 | – | 210 |
| 23 | Kentucky | 0-0 | – | 191 |
| 24 | Ole Miss | 0-0 | – | 132 |
| 25 | Rutgers | 0-0 | – | 102 |
Others receiving votes
Illinois 92, St. John’s 91, Xavier 73, Texas Tech 58, Wake Forest 37, Kansas St 30, Michigan St. 29, Ohio St. 29, Michigan 19, BYU 14, Oregon 12, McNeese St. 11, Miami 11, Boise St. 9, Saint Louis 9, Clemson 9, Providence 9, Mississippi St. 6, VCU 6, Wisconsin 5, Saint Mary’s 5, Louisville 4, UAB 4, Ark Little Rock 3, Grand Canyon 3, Arizona St 2, San Diego St. 2, Princeton 2, High Point 1, Maryland 1.
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