There’s no doubt that the Florida men’s basketball team has taken a step forward in the second year of head coach Todd Golden’s tenure, but a 9-3 start isn’t good enough to land the Gators any support from the Associated Press Top 25 Poll voters.
Once again, Florida finished poll voting without a single poll point, despite losing just three games to some solid teams. UF lost to No. 17 Baylor and Virginia (40 points) by a combined seven points, and the Wake Forest loss came when center Micah Handlogten was injured.
Other 7-5 teams, such as Alabama and Michigan State, earned at least some support in the voting. The Crimson Tide have played a tough schedule and Michigan State recovered some with a big win over Kansas to earn those points.
Florida’s wins over Florida State, Michigan and Richmond carry some weight, but the Gators will have to wait until conference play to earn that signature win of the season.
Looking at the rest of the SEC, Tennessee and Kentucky are inside the top 10 at Nos. 6 and 8, respectively, and Ole Miss checks in at No. 24 this week. Auburn is the first team out with 121 points. Texas A&M (9), Mississippi State (2) and South Carolina (2) also earned votes.
| Rank | Team | Record | Points | Trend |
| 1 | Purdue | 11-1 | 1,486 (46) | – |
| 2 | Kansas | 11-1 | 1,424 (5) | – |
| 3 | Houston | 12-0 | 1,408 (9) | – |
| 4 | Arizona | 9-2 | 1,191 | – |
| 5 | UConn | 11-2 | 1,150 | – |
| 6 | Tennessee | 9-3 | 1,124 | +2 |
| 7 | Florida Atlantic | 10-2 | 1,089 | +7 |
| 8 | Kentucky | 9-2 | 1,074 | +1 |
| 9 | North Carolina | 8-3 | 954 | +2 |
| 10 | Marquette | 10-3 | 928 | -4 |
| 11 | Illinois | 9-2 | 902 | +2 |
| 12 | Oklahoma | 10-1 | 778 | -5 |
| 13 | Gonzaga | 9-3 | 577 | +2 |
| 14 | BYU | 11-1 | 575 | +3 |
| 15 | Colorado State | 11-1 | 573 | +1 |
| 16 | Duke | 8-3 | 551 | +5 |
| 17 | Baylor | 10-2 | 532 | -7 |
| 18 | Clemson | 10-1 | 513 | – |
| 19 | Memphis | 10-2 | 493 | +4 |
| 20 | James Madison | 12-0 | 417 | – |
| 21 | Texas | 9-2 | 342 | -2 |
| 22 | Creighton | 9-3 | 340 | -10 |
| 23 | Wisconsin | 9-3 | 287 | +1 |
| 24 | Ole Miss | 12-0 | 243 | +1 |
| 25 | Providence | 11-2 | 128 | – |
Others Receiving Votes:
Auburn 121, Colorado 64, Miami 51, Utah 45, Virginia 40, Iowa St. 21, Nevada 13, Ohio St. 10, Texas A&M 9, San Diego St. 8, Michigan St. 8, Villanova 6, New Mexico 6, Northwestern 5, Dayton 4, Grand Canyon 3, South Carolina 2, Mississippi St. 2, Alabama 2, Princeton 1.
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