The Florida Gators are once again a top-five program in the KenPom College Basketball Ratings, after improving to 17-2 with a one-point win over South Carolina.
A plus-29.82 adjusted efficiency margin puts Florida 0.22 points ahead of Tennessee and 1.06 points behind Iowa State at No. 5 in Friday’s KenPom ratings. Passing the Vols means the Gators are now the second-highest-rated team in the SEC, per efficiency metrics.
Gators Wire last checked in on these ratings eight days ago on Jan. 16, following a Florida loss to Missouri. Since then, the Gators have triumphed over Texas (by 24 points) at home and South Carolina on the road to improve to 17-2 overall and 4-2 in conference play.
Breaking down the KenPom ratings
| Date |
Nov. 12 (Week 1) |
Nov. 26 (Week 3) |
Dec. 9 (Week 5) |
Dec. 18 (Week 6) |
Dec. 31 (Week 8) |
Jan. 16 (Week 10) |
Jan. 24 (Week 11) |
| W-L |
3-0 |
6-0 |
9-0 |
11-0 |
13-0 |
15-2 |
17-2 |
| NetRtg |
+19.83 (20) |
+21.86 (18) |
+25.30 (8) |
+26.50 (7) |
+27.63 (6) |
+29.34 (6) |
+29.92 (5) |
| ORtg |
117.2 (13) |
119.5 (8) |
121.9 (5) |
122.8 (7) |
121.8 (8) |
123.6 (6) |
124.3 (5) |
| DRtg |
97.4 (49) |
97.6 (49) |
96.6 (29) |
96.3 (21) |
94.2 (11) |
94.3 (16) |
94.4 (15) |
| AdjT |
73.2 (47) |
70.4 (93) |
69.0 (131) |
70.1 (83) |
70.9 (78) |
69.9 (85) |
69.2 (81) |
| Luck |
+.000 (117) |
+.000 (188) |
+.002 (187) |
+.010 (178) |
+.029 (143) |
-.032 (249) |
-0.13 (221) |
| SOS Net |
-4.16 (237) |
-3.79 (252) |
-1.28 (208) |
+2.11 (102) |
-1.05 (208) |
+4.18 (64) |
+5.74 (52) |
| SOS ORtg |
100.8 (265) |
101.4 (303) |
102.6 (319) |
105.6 (230) |
105.0 (249) |
108.1 (84) |
108.7 (69) |
| SOS DRtg |
105.0 (198) |
105.2 (164) |
103.9 (87) |
103.5 (45) |
106.0 (151) |
103.9 (65) |
102.9 (38) |
| NCSOS Net |
-4.16 (237) |
-3.79 (252) |
-1.28 (209) |
+2.11 (98) |
-1.05 (201) |
-1.98 (232) |
-1.63 (218) |
Florida’s adjusted offensive efficiency continues to climb past 100 points per 100 possessions, now at 124.3 – good for fifth overall in the country. Alabama (125.1), Kentucky (124.8) and Duke (124.4) are within range of Florida, but Auburn (131.0) has a firm grip on the top spot.
The Gators also have a top-15 adjust defensive efficiency rating, allowing just 94.4 per 100 possessions. Florida has boasted a top-25 defensive since the middle of December, and the shift to the SEC schedule hasn’t changed too much. Only Duke, Houston and Iowa State have top-15-ranked programs on both sides of the ball — with the Blue Devils being ranked inside the top 5 each way.
Two more games of slightly slower-paced basketball have Florida’s adjusted tempo down to 69.2 possessions per 40 minutes after topping out around 70.9 at the end of the non-conference schedule. Conference play is slowing everyone done a bit, allowing Florida to climb to No. 81 despite the dip. The Gators are still playing far slower than the top-50 tempo expected ahead of the season, but it’s the only disappointing metric of the bunch.
Luck has not been a relevant metric all year for Florida, which is a good thing. If luck deviates too far from triple zeroes, it means someone is getting hosed. High luck can mean a lower rating than a record suggests and negative luck often means underperforming. Florida’s luck trended closer toward .000 this week.
Strength of Schedule according to KenPom
Florida faced a relatively easy non-conference slate, but the jury remains out until all the games are played. The non-Power Four teams that come to the O’Dome and get crushed often end up the most competitive in conference play, when the playing field evens up. Florida’s non-conference strength of schedule (SOS) jumped from No. 232 to No. 218 in this week’s rankings.
The Gators’ overall SOS rating is now up to 52nd overall at +5.74 net. That number should only grow as SEC play continues. KenPom says Florida’s opponents average 108.7 points (69th) and allow 102.9 (38th) per 100 possessions.
Looking back at Florida’s 13 non-conference wins: four came against top-100 programs, North Carolina (32nd), Arizona State (55th), Florida State (67th) and Wake Forest (75th); four have come against opponents rated between 100 and 200, Virginia (126th), Wichita State (140th), Jacksonville (157th) and South Florida (183rd); and five have come against opponents rated outside of the top 200, Southern Illinois (201st), North Florida (207th), Grambling State (320th), Stetson (342nd) and Florida A&M (351st).
In conference play, Florida has beaten Tennessee (6th), Texas (39th), Arkansas (54th) and South Carolina (80th) with losses to Kentucky (19th) and Missouri (31st).
SEC KenPom ratings
All 16 SEC programs are rated inside the top 80 this week, with 13 inside the 50, eight inside the top 25 and four inside the top 10.
Auburn (+36.36, 2nd) leads the SEC net efficiency rating but no trails Duke (+36.66, 1st) nationally.
Florida (+29.82, 5th) and Tennessee (+29.60, 6th) are the other two heavy hitters in the conference, with Alabama (+27.40, 8th) back in that conversation.
Texas A&M (+24.20, 15th), Ole Miss (+23.59, 18th)and Kentucky (+23.50, 19th) make up the next tier of SEC teams, with Mississippi State (+21.85, 23rd) close behind.
Missouri (+19.00, 31st), Georgia (+18.26, 36th), Texas (+17.51, 39th), Oklahoma (+16.61, 41st) and Vanderbilt (+15.67, 47th) are all inside the top 50, with Arkansas (+14.51, 54th) just on the outside of that threshold.
LSU (+11.67, 69th) and South Carolina (+10.66, 80th) are at the bottom of the conference but would still be near the top of most others.
Why KenPom matters
Many college hoops experts and oddsmakers consider Pomeroy’s ratings to be the gold standard in the sport, and its reputation has lasted for more than 20 years.
“His ratings are derived from a proprietary algorithm, with the core centered on the Pythagorean calculation for expected winning percentage, made famous by baseball statistician Bill James,” ESPN explains.
“Pomeroy’s formula is designed to be purely predictive, with an emphasis on margin of victory. He factors in offensive and defensive efficiency, tempo and even luck, but does not, however, take into consideration injuries or emotional factors.”
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92.8 PFF grade (1st)
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