Florida basketball lost what little support it had left among USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll voters following a week that featured a loss to Florida Atlantic and a comeback win over Florida State.
Normally, the Gators would be celebrated for taking down its biggest in-state rival, but the Seminoles are off to an 0-4 start and basically handed the game away with over a dozen second-half turnovers. Let’s not forget that UF was down 17 at the half and could hardly buy a bucket, let alone outscore FSU. Credit to [autotag]Todd Golden[/autotag] and his staff for drawing up a gameplan at halftime that allowed [autotag]Colin Castelton[/autotag] to thrive, but the comeback win doesn’t erase the sloppy play witnessed throughout the week.
The loss to FAU almost guaranteed Florida’s spot, or lack thereof, on this week’s Coaches Poll. The Owls exposed Florida’s horrendous perimeter defense and let it rain from three-point range until the gap was too big to close.
Florida will take on Xavier on Thanksgiving Day in the first round of the Phil Knight Legacy Tournament in Portland, Oregon. That’s a chance to earn some favor back as the Musketeers picked up six votes in this week’s poll. If the Gators can get through the opening round, they’ll likely have a chance to play Duke in the semifinals. An upset in that round would likely lead to a matchup with Gonzaga, so this is Florida’s first true test of the season, at least on the national stage.
Here’s a full look at the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll for men’s basketball.
| Rank | Team | Record | Points | Trend |
| 1 | North Carolina | 4-0 | 759 (23) | – |
| 2 | Houston | 5-0 | 729 (7) | +1 |
| 3 | Kansas | 4-0 | 696 | +2 |
| 4 | Texas | 3-0 | 646 (1) | +7 |
| 5 | Gonzaga | 3-1 | 635 | -3 |
| 6 | Virginia | 4-0 | 589 | +8 |
| 7 | Baylor | 4-1 | 543 | -1 |
| 8 | Creighton | 4-0 | 506 | +1 |
| 9 | Arkansas | 3-0 | 502 | +1 |
| 10 | Duke | 3-1 | 480 | -2 |
| 11 | Indiana | 4-0 | 428 | +1 |
| 12 | Arizona | 3-0 | 397 | +1 |
| 13 | Kentucky | 3-2 | 360 | +1 |
| 14 | Illinois | 4-1 | 312 | +4 |
| 15 | Michigan State | 3-1 | 307 | – |
| 16 | Auburn | 4-0 | 301 | +3 |
| 17 | UCLA | 3-2 | 296 | -6 |
| 18 | Alabama | 4-0 | 268 | -2 |
| 19 | San Diego St. | 3-0 | 267 | +1 |
| 20 | Texas Tech | 3-0 | 161 | +3 |
| 21 | Tennessee | 2-1 | 157 | +1 |
| 22 | Connecticut | 5-0 | 126 | +2 |
| 23 | Purdue | 3-0 | 125 | +2 |
| 24 | Iowa | 3-0 | 115 | +2 |
| 25 | Maryland | 5-0 | 76 | +5 |
Schools Dropped Out
Others Receiving Votes
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