Gators remain outside AP Poll top 25 after disappointing Vandy loss

The ‘Bama win almost assured Florida a top-25 spot but the Vandy loss negated those gains.

Florida basketball was flying high heading into the final weekend of the regular season. But instead of closing things out against a struggling Vanderbilt Commodores program, the Gators fell flat in the final minutes and lost on the road, 79-78, to end things on a sour note.

As a result, the Orange and Blue was unable to climb back into the Associated Press Poll‘s top 25, leaving Todd Golden’s gang with just eight votes. Last week, they held 39 votes while the two weeks prior Florida was ranked No. 24.

Looking around the Southeastern Conference the Tennessee Volunteers are ranked No. 5, followed by the Kentucky Wildcats (No. 9), Auburn Tigers (No. 12), South Carolina Gamecocks (No. 15) and Alabama Crimson Tide (No. 19). No other SEC school earned votes.

Florida is a No. 6 seed in the Southeastern Conference Tournament, giving it a first-round bye and matching the Gators up with the winner of Game 2 on Thursday, March 14, inside Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. Tipoff is slated for a late 9:30 p.m. ET start on the SEC Network.

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Game Preview: Florida returns to O’Dome to host Arkansas Razorbacks

Check out how the Florida Gators matchup on the hardwood for Saturday afternoon’s contest against the Arkansas Razorbacks.

Florida basketball returns home to the O’Dome on Saturday afternoon for another SEC contest, this time against the Arkansas Razorbacks.

Even though the Gators ended the 2023 calendar year with a sense of euphoria, building a six-game win streak and surviving a thriller against Michigan in a double overtime.

But now the Orange and Blue are up against the ropes, falling to Kentucky and Ole Miss consecutively and the defense is starting to show its cracks in the system after surrendering 103 points to the Rebels.

The Razorbacks also find themselves in desperation mode, slipping to a two-game losing skid to start the new year and losing both contests by a double-digit margin, most notably an 83-51 loss to the Auburn Tigers at home.

Here’s how both teams will line up while they play for redemption and for their first wins of the new year.

Still no votes for Florida in latest USA TODAY Sports Ferris Mowers Coaches Poll

Still no love from the Coaches Poll.

Florida basketball finally got in the Southeastern Conference win column on Saturday on the road against the South Carolina Gamecocks after dropping its first three games of league play for its worst SEC start since the early 80s. Despite the solid victory, the voters in the USA TODAY Sports Ferris Mowers Coaches Poll for Week 10 saw no reason to add the Gators to their ballots.

Since the last poll update, UF beat USC but also lost one at home against a short-handed LSU Tigers in a game that Florida had plenty of chances to win but ultimately seized defeat from the jaws of victory. Now after four games played, the Gators sit at 1-3 in conference play with a stretch of four games in eight days coming up.

Speaking of the SEC, the Auburn Tigers climbed up to No. 2 this week and are a threat to take the top spot any time now, while the Kentucky Wildcats come in at No. 12, LSU at No. 16, and the Tennessee Volunteers the final spot at No. 25. The Alabama Crimson Tide was the only other conference school to earn votes after dropping out of the top 25.

A look at the full Ferris Mowers Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports:

Rank Team Record Points Change
1 Gonzaga 14-2 787 (23) +1
2 Auburn 16-1 759 (8) +2
3 Arizona 14-1 687 (1) +3
4 Purdue 14-2 647 +1
5 Duke 14-2 643 +3
6 Baylor 15-2 642 -5
7 Kansas 14-2 611 +3
8 Wisconsin 14-2 546 +5
9 UCLA 11-2 530 -6
10 Houston 15-2 491 +1
11 Villanova 13-4 479 +3
12 Kentucky 14-3 419 +5
13 Michigan St 14-3 366 -4
14 Iowa St 14-3 326 +2
15 USC 14-2 322 -8
16 LSU 15-2 300 -4
17 Illinois 13-3 297 +7
18 Ohio St 11-4 263 -3
19 Texas Tech 13-4 261
20 Xavier 13-3 252 +1
21 Providence 14-2 227 -1
22 Texas 13-4 103
23 Colorado St 13-1 75 +4
24 Loyola-Chicago 13-2 60 +5
25 Tennessee 11-5 52 -2
25 Connecticut 11-4 52 +5

Schools Dropped Out

No. 18 Seton Hall; No. 25 Alabama

Others Receiving Votes

Miami-Florida 40; Seton Hall 37; Brigham Young 23; Alabama 21; Davidson 14; Texas A&M 11; San Diego St. 10; Iowa 10; North Carolina 6; Indiana 6; Southern Methodist 5; Oregon 5; West Virginia 4; Texas Christian 4; San Francisco 2; Oklahoma 1; Oakland 1; Murray St. 1; Grand Canyon 1; Boise St. 1

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