Gators’ sloppy start against SEC leads to lack of support in USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll

Florida might have earned a vote or two with a win over the Aggies last week. Beating LSU and Missouri this week is crucial if Florida is going to gain any support.

Florida once again failed to earn a single vote in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll update.

The Gators beat Georgia to wrap up Week 10 but a close loss to Texas A&M on Wednesday proved costly for the Orange and Blue. The Aggies earned one vote this week, putting them in a tie for an unofficial No. 46 spot in the poll results. That could’ve been Florida had the score gone the other way.

Fortunately, UF has a good chance to redeem itself and earns some votes if it can beat LSU and Missouri over the coming week. The Tigers in purple and gold earned six votes this week, and the Tigers from Mizzou are flat-out ranked at No. 20 overall this week. It’s a good test week for a team that needs to get a signature win sooner than later.

[autotag]Colin Castleton[/autotag] seems to be getting some of his mojo back and [autotag]Kowacie Reeves[/autotag] has been electric off the bench. [autotag]Todd Golden[/autotag] almost found the right recipe against Auburn to kick off conference play, so going 2-0 this week isn’t out of the question.

Speaking of Auburn, the Tigers are one of five ranked SEC programs this week. Alabama and Tennessee are battling in the top five at Nos. 4 and 5,  respectively, Arkansas checks in at No. 16 and Auburn is just below Missouri at No. 22.

Here’s a full look at the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll for men’s basketball.

Rank Team Record Points Trend
1 Houston 16-1 774 (14) +1
2 Kansas 14-1 767 (12) +1
3 Purdue 15-1 734 (6) -2
4 Alabama 13-2 676 +3
5 Tennessee 13-2 655 +4
6 UCLA 14-2 603 +2
7 Connecticut 15-2 601 -2
8 Gonzaga 14-3 569 +2
9 Arizona 14-2 535 -5
10 Texas 13-2 462 -4
11 Xavier 13-3 428 +7
12 Virginia 11-3 395 -1
13 Kansas State 14-1 370 +15
14 Iowa State 12-2 332 +11
15 Miami (FL) 13-2 329 -3
16 Arkansas 12-3 290 -3
17 Texas Christian 13-2 269 –
18 Wisconsin 11-3 240 -3
19 Providence 14-3 206 +11
20 Missouri 13-2 193 +1
21 Duke 12-4 165 -7
22 Auburn 12-3 159 -2
23 Marquette 13-4 123 +11
24 Charleston 16-1 77 +8
25 San Diego State 12-3 72 +8

Schools Dropped Out

No. 16 Baylor; No. 19 Indiana; No. 22 New Mexico; No. 23 Ohio St.; No. 24 Illinois; No. 25 Kentucky.

Others Receiving Votes

Illinois 50; Baylor 48; Clemson 45; Michigan St. 38; Ohio St. 32; Saint Mary’s 30; Indiana 29; Northwestern 15; Maryland 13; Florida Atlantic 13; Kentucky 11; North Carolina 10; Rutgers 8; New Mexico 7; Louisiana State 6; Pittsburgh 5; Iowa 5; Mississippi State 4; Texas Tech 3; Nevada 2; Texas A&M 1; Boise St. 1.

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