Florida only had one game this week and it ended in a 20-point loss to the Connecticut Huskies. That didn’t do the Gators any favors on Monday when the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll was updated.
Losing to No. 3 UConn isn’t the worst loss in the world for Florida, but it is the latest failed test for a club still searching for its identity under first-year head coach [autotag]Todd Golden[/autotag]. It will take a strong performance against the conference for Florida to muster up any support in the Coaches Poll over the coming weeks.
UF has just one game scheduled for the coming week, a Wednesday night matchup with the Ohio Bobcats. Florida should have a chance to get back in the win column in that one and then comes Oklahoma, the final game of the non-conference slate.
Florida needs all the kinks to be worked out by the end of the second half against the Sooner, and hopefully, [autotag]Kyle Lofton[/autotag] will be back in the starting lineup by then. Golden is still trying to find the right mix of minutes for what appears to be a talented roster.
[autotag]Alex Fudge[/autotag] has emerged as a potential starter at the four over [autotag]CJ Felder[/autotag], and [autotag]Kowacie Reeves[/autotag] is back on the court after Golden flubbed the rotations and left him on the bench for most of a three-game stretch.
Here’s a full look at the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll for men’s basketball.
| Rank | Team | Record | Points | Trend |
| 1 | Purdue | 10-0 | 697 (9) | +3 |
| 2 | Virginia | 8-0 | 7683 (12) | +1 |
| 3 | Connecticut | 11-0 | 677 (7) | +2 |
| 4 | Houston | 9-1 | 588 | -3 |
| 5 | Alabama | 8-1 | 585 | +5 |
| 6 | Kansas | 9-1 | 568 | – |
| 7 | Tennessee | 9-1 | 550 | – |
| 8 | Texas | 7-1 | 537 | -6 |
| 9 | Arizona | 8-1 | 487 | – |
| 10 | Arkansas | 9-1 | 466 | -2 |
| 11 | Baylor | 7-2 | 387 | +1 |
| 12 | Duke | 10-2 | 366 | +3 |
| 13 | Kentucky | 7-2 | 330 | +3 |
| 14 | UCLA | 8-2 | 310 | +4 |
| 15 | Gonzaga | 7-3 | 291 | +3 |
| 16 | Indiana | 8-2 | 272 | -5 |
| 17 | Maryland | 8-2 | 237 | -4 |
| 18 | Auburn | 8-1 | 223 | -4 |
| 19 | Illinois | 7-3 | 204 | -2 |
| 20 | Mississippi State | 9-0 | 155 | +6 |
| 21 | Ohio State | 7-2 | 134 | +2 |
| 22 | Texas Christian | 8-1 | 102 | +3 |
| 23 | Wisconsin | 8-2 | 99 | +9 |
| 24 | Virginia Tech | 10-1 | 99 | +4 |
| 25 | Miami (FL) | 10-1 | 55 | +3 |
Schools Dropped Out
Others Receiving Votes
Marquette 46; Iowa State 46; Iowa 46; West Virginia 32; Memphis 29; Charleston 24; Creighton 20; Saint Mary’s 15; Xavier 14; UNLV 13; New Mexico 9; San Diego St. 8; Kansas State 6; Utah St. 4; Texas Tech 4; Arizona State 3; Rutgers 2; North Carolina 1; Michigan St. 1.
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