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Wisconsin enters latest USA TODAY Sports men’s basketball coaches poll

Wisconsin basketball cracked the top 25 of the latest USA TODAY Sports men’s basketball coaches poll after the second week of the 2024-25 season.

The Badgers are up to No. 25 in the poll after Friday’s 103-88 win over No. 9 Arizona highlighted their 4-0 start to the season.

The USA TODAY Sports men’s basketball coaches poll is conducted weekly throughout the college basketball regular season. It polls a panel of head coaches from across the country, each coach submitting a full 1-25 ranking. 25 points are awarded for every first-place vote, 24 points for second-place votes and so on.

Wisconsin earned 75 total votes in the poll’s latest update. It is the Badgers’ first appearance in the top 25 of the 2024-25 season.

Kansas still leads the nation after a 4-0 start. It is followed by UConn at No. 2, Auburn at No. 3, Gonzaga at No. 4 and Iowa State at No. 5. Other Big Ten teams in the top 25 are Purdue at No. 6, Indiana at No. 18, and Illinois at No. 20.

Here’s a look at the full USA TODAY Sports Men’s Basketball Coaches Poll following Nov. 18’s games:

Rank	Team	Record	Points
1	Kansas	4-0	665 (21)
2	UConn	3-0	632 (3)
3	Auburn	3-0	608 (2)
4	Gonzaga	3-0	599 (1)
5	Iowa State	2-0	516
6	Purdue	4-0	513
7	Houston	2-1	470
8	Alabama	3-1	470
9	Tennessee	4-0	462
10	Duke	3-1	421
11	Kentucky	3-0	381
12	North Carolina	2-1	377
13	Creighton	4-0	348
14	Marquette	4-0	319
15	Baylor	3-1	313
16	Cincinnati	3-0	229
17	Arizona	2-1	228
18	Indiana	3-0	208
19	Florida	4-0	168
20	Illinois	3-0	133
21	St. John’s	4-0	119
22	Texas Tech	3-0	95
23	Texas A&M	3-1	94
24	Arkansas	2-1	82
25	Wisconsin	4-0	75

Schools Dropped Out

No. 22 Ohio State; No. 24 Rutgers;

Others Receiving Votes

Rutgers 56; Xavier 43; Ole Miss 39; BYU 28; Saint Mary’s 18; Pittsburgh 18; Texas 14; Michigan State 9; Mississippi State 5; Oregon 4; Nevada 4; Ohio State 3; Dayton 3; Wake Forest 2; VCU 2; UCF 2;

Wisconsin is back on the court on Monday night against UT-Rio Grande. The team will then travel for a set of weekend games at the Greenbrier Classic.

Greg Gard and the Badgers are looking to continue their dream start to the 2024-25 season. National recognition has quickly followed the team’s big win over the Wildcats.

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Florida football surges in USA TODAY Sports Week 12 re-rank

Florida was one of the biggest movers in this week’s USA TODAY Sports college football re-rank after beating LSU.

Billy Napier may have scored the biggest — or at least, most important — win of his nearly three-year tenure as coach of the Florida football program on Saturday with an epic 27-16 upset of the LSU Tigers in the Swamp.

It took a total team effort, but in the end, the Gators prevailed to win their fifth game this fall. Now with two games remaining, the prospect of a bowl bid is becoming a more likely reality than a few weeks ago.

Following last weekend’s gridiron action, USA TODAY Sports writer Paul Myerberg submitted his re-ranking of all 134 Football Bowl Subdivision schools. Here is how the Orange and Blue fared.

Florida’s re-rank after Week 12

Myerberg boosted the Gators 14 spots after the Week 12 dust settled, moving up from No. 57 to No. 43 and putting Florida between the No. 42 Michigan Wolverines and No. 44 Oklahoma Sooners.

Billy Napier and Co. are ahead of five Southeastern Conference schools in the rankings: Oklahoma (No. 44); the Arkansas Razorbacks (No. 46); Kentucky Wildcats (No. 77); Auburn Tigers (No. 92); Mississippi State Bulldogs (No. 108).

USA TODAY Sports Week 12 re-rank top 10

The Oregon Ducks remained in the top perch this week while the Ohio State Buckeyes, Texas Longhorns and Penn State Nittany Lions held onto the second, third and fourth spots, respectively. The Indiana Hoosiers moved up two positions to take the No. 5 ranking.

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish stood at No. 6, followed by the Alabama Crimson Tide, Ole Miss Rebels, Georgia Bulldogs and Miami Hurricanes, respectively, to wrap up the top 10.

Up next for the Gators

The Gators play their final home game of the season against the Ole Miss Rebels on Saturday, Nov. 23. Kickoff is set for noon ET and will be broadcast on ABC.

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Florida a USA TODAY Sports ‘winner’ after beating LSU in Week 12

Here is what USA TODAY Sports writer Paul Myerberg has to say about Florida’s huge win in the Swamp over LSU.

Florida football earned its fifth win of the season on Saturday inside Ben Hill Griffin Stadium over the 22nd-ranked LSU Tigers in a rivalry game that lived up to its long-time reputation. The Gators used an all-around effort to overcome the visitors, 27-16.

After the dust settled following college football’s Week 12 schedule, USA TODAY Sports writer Paul Myerberg penned up his winners and losers column, with the Orange and Blue headlining the positive side of things. Here is what he offered.

“Florida pitched the decision to bring back coach [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] as one focused on the program’s future.,” Myerberg begins. “The reality of the situation is that paying Napier’s $27 million buyout made less sense at a time when a fraction of that total can be used to develop a roster that can compete on a weekly basis with the best teams in the SEC.

“This decision may end up being one of the smarter economic allocations in recent Bowl Subdivision history,” he continues. “In a dream scenario, Napier’s program turns a corner over the next year. If not, the Gators fire him next November or December and pay a smaller buyout number.

“The future is uncertain, basically. But the present isn’t all that bad: Florida beat No. 22 LSU 27-16 for what may be the hallmark win of Napier’s tenure, Myerberg notes. “And with freshman quarterback [autotag]DJ Lagway[/autotag] back in the lineup after missing last week’s loss to Texas, the Gators seem poised to earn a bowl berth and potentially post a winning season for the first time since 2020.

“Lagway largely outplayed LSU junior Garrett Nussmeier in completing 13 of 26 passes for 226 yards and a score. Nussmeier threw for 260 yards but averaged a season-low 5.5 yards per attempt.

“Crucially, Lagway avoided any turnovers in a game that went back and forth until freshman running back Jadan Baugh’s 55-yard touchdown pushed Florida ahead by two possessions with just under four minutes to go.

“The Gators will be heavy underdogs in next week’s game against No. 11 Mississippi but are poised to capture bowl eligibility in the season finale against rival Florida State,” Myerberg predicts. “Given the drama of this season — from Napier’s job security through quarterback Graham Mertz’s season-ending injury through the nastiest schedule imaginable in the SEC — that this team could reach a bowl game should be applauded.

“Hold your applause for LSU, which as a specific team and program is clearly trending downwards after a nice run through the start of SEC play. In the past three games, the Tigers have been blown away in the fourth quarter by No. 15 Texas A&M, blown out from the start by No. 9 Alabama and then lost to the Gators.

“That’s not good news for coach Brian Kelly, who missed the chance to capitalize on some early success and might be better off packing up his Foghorn Leghorn-style accent and doing a reverse carpetbagger back to the friendlier confines of somewhere in the upper Midwest,” he concludes.

Up next for the Gators

The Gators play their final home game of the season against the Ole Miss Rebels on Saturday, Nov. 23. Kickoff is set for noon ET and will be broadcast on ABC.

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USA TODAY Sports picks for Florida-LSU in Week 12

Here is how the USA TODAY Sports staff sees the Florida-LSU game going down.

The Florida Gators welcome the LSU Tigers to the Swamp on Saturday for their annual Southeastern Conference rivalry matchup. With just three games remaining in the regular season, both teams desperately need a win to cement their respective postseason aspirations.

Ahead of college football’s Week 12 kickoff, the USA TODAY Sports staff assembled to provide their respective picks for this weekend’s affair. Of the six respondents, only one — Jordan Mendoza — chose the Orange and Blue. The remainder of the pack consisting of Scooby Axson, Paul Myerberg, Erick Smith, Eddie Timanus and Dan Wolken all chose the Purple and Gold.

LSU holds an ever-so-slight edge in the all-time series, 34-33-3, which dates back to their first meeting in Baton Rouge back in 1938.

How to watch Florida-LSU

The Gators host the Tigers in college football’s Week 12 on Saturday, Nov. 16. The SEC matchup will kick off at 3:30 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on ABC.

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Sooners among USA TODAY Sports losers of week 11 after letdown vs. Missouri

The Oklahoma Sooners fell to 5-5 with their loss to Missouri and were among USA TODAY Sports losers from week 11.

It wasn’t simply that the Oklahoma Sooners lost to Missouri on Saturday night. It was the way they lost. They watched a lead at halftime disappear. Then, the Sooners tied it up late and took the lead on a fumble returned for a touchdown.

It was a miraculous turn of events that quickly turned into disaster as the Sooners allowed the game-tying touchdown 57 seconds later on a drive that allowed a third-and-16 conversion.

It couldn’t have ended any worse for the Sooners. Jackson Arnold, on second-and-five, couldn’t find anywhere to go with the ball and lost the football when hit, which Missouri took the other way for a game-winning touchdown.

After their disappointing loss, the Sooners were among Paul Myerburg’s losers of the week for USA TODAY Sports.

Hello, rock bottom. That’s where you’ll find Oklahoma after a stunning 30-23 loss to Missouri that got wild in the final minutes. The Sooners scored twice in 78 seconds to go up 23-16 with two minutes to play only to see Missouri respond to tie the score with a minute left. Then, Oklahoma quarterback Jackson Arnold was sacked and fumbled, with the loose ball scooped up by defensive lineman Zion Young and returned 18 yards for the game-winning score. In a nightmare season, this is about as bad a loss the program has suffered in years and years and it’s likely to end without a bowl game for the first time this century. – Myerburg, USA TODAY Sports

There have been too many comparisons between this Oklahoma team and the 1998 squad. The Sooners are in danger of missing bowl season for the first since the final year of the John Blake era.

It’s never good when your team gets compared to one of the lowest periods in program history.

Brent Venables will likely get another year to figure it out, but he’ll be on the hottest of seats moving forward.

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Gators take precipitous plunge in USA TODAY Sports re-rank after Week 11

Florida falls out of the USA TODAY Sports re-rank after the Week 11 loss to the Texas Longhorns.

It was a tough Saturday for Florida football, which fell to the Texas Longhorns on the road in Week 11, 49-17, in a game in which the Gators looked grossly overmatched.

Many of the problems stem from an excessive amount of injuries that have left [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] and Co. without many of their top playmakers. Of course, respect needs to be given to the victor — who is among the top teams in the nation this fall — as well.

Following last weekend’s gridiron action, USA TODAY Sports writer Paul Myerberg submitted his re-ranking of all 134 Football Bowl Subdivision schools.

Florida’s re-rank after Week 11

Myerberg dropped the Gators 12 spots in his Week 11 update, falling from No. 45 to No. 57, which puts Florida between the No. 56 Baylor Bears and No. 58 Boston College Eagles. The Orange and Blue is ahead of just three other SEC programs: Kentucky Wildcats (No. 80), Auburn Tigers (No. 91) and Mississippi State Bulldogs (No. 108).

USA TODAY Sports Week 11 re-rank top 10

The Oregon Ducks remained in the top perch this week followed by the Ohio State Buckeyes, who also stood pat in their position. The Texas Longhorns are behind them at No. 3 while the Penn State Nittany Lions and Tennessee Volunteers, respectively, round out the top five teams.

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish come in at No. 6, followed by the Indiana Hoosiers, BYU Cougars, Miami Hurricanes and Alabama Crimson Tide, respectively, to wrap up the top 10.

Next up for Florida

The Gators return to Ben Hill Griffin Stadium to host the LSU Tigers in college football’s Week 12. The Southeastern Conference matchup will kick off at 3:30 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on ABC.

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Gators earn spot on USA TODAY Sports Misery Index after Week 11

Between the football’s teams struggles on the field and the allegations surrounding Todd Golden off the court, things are pretty miserable in Gainesville.

Florida football took a beating on Saturday from the Texas Longhorns in their first showdown since 1940, falling flat in Austin to the tune of a 49-17 final score in which the home team left little doubt about which was the better team.

The blowout defeat gives the Gators five losses against four wins with three more games remaining to reach the magic six-win mark. [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag]’s crew has suffered a great deal of attrition to the injury bug and a lack of depth has really come back to bite them.

As a result, the Gator Nation continues to lose its patience with the incumbent regime — despite the school pledging allegiance to its third-year skipper — as has the national media. The most recent loss did little to temper emotions, earning a spot on USA TODAY Sports’ misery index on Sunday.

“This has been a season of bloodlust in Gainesville,” author Dan Wolken notes. “Not only do Gators fans want head coach Billy Napier gone, they’re equally done with the athletics director who hired him. But Scott Stricklin’s statement Thursday that Napier would be returning for 2025 presumably ends that debate. Napier will be back, and apparently, Stricklin’s job is safe too.”

As the late Billy Mays used to say, “But wait, there’s more!”

“On Friday, however, Florida’s student newspaper The Alligator reported on disturbing allegations against men’s basketball coach [autotag]Todd Golden[/autotag] that led to a Title IX investigation. Suddenly, the entire athletic department looks like it’s going up in flames.”

Cue the “everything is fine” meme. Things are certainly not trending in the right direction and Golden’s alleged infractions undo what was once a lone silver lining for Florida’s two top sports.

“It’s impossible to say what this is all going to mean for Florida’s athletic leadership,” Wolken continues, “especially when the university is looking for a new president who would presumably make some of these decisions. Meanwhile, asking fans to have faith in another year of Napier gets awfully difficult after a 49-17 loss to Texas.

“Yes, the Longhorns are a much better program right now, but Florida failing to be competitive after Napier’s vote of confidence will only inflame a large number of Gators fans who believe wholesale changes are necessary to compete in the SEC anytime soon.”

Next up for Florida

The Gators return to Ben Hill Griffin Stadium to host LSU in college football’s Week 12. The Southeastern Conference matchup will kick off at 3:30 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on ABC.

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Florida drops one spot in USA TODAY Sports re-rank after UGA loss

The Orange and Blue remain a top-50 team in USA TODAY Sports’ re-rank despite the loss to Georgia.

Florida football was dealt what felt like a death blow during Week 10 against the Georgia Bulldogs. It was a game of attrition, with both teams seeing significant injuries but the Gators got the worst of it.

Among the casualties from Saturday’s rivalry game was true freshman and recently anointed starting quarterback [autotag]DJ Lagway[/autotag], who went down with a leg injury that [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] later called a “pretty significant” hamstring issue. The Orange and Blue looked like it might pull off the upset as the halftime horn approached, but after losing Lagway, things got pretty grim.

While third-string walk-on QB [autotag]Aidan Warner[/autotag] — and Florida’s defense, in particular — managed to keep the team in the game until late in the fourth quarter, the prognosis moving forward is not looking good. Especially with the opponents lined up over the next three weeks.

The good news is that the loss did not have too much of an effect on where the Gators landed in the computer models as well as the human rankings this time around, including USA TODAY Sports‘ latest re-rank.

Florida’s re-rank after Week 10

Paul Myerberg docked Florida just one spot in his Week 10 update, dropping them from No. 44 to No. 45 — exactly where it was before the Week 9 bye. That puts the Gators between the No. 44 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and No. 46 Virginia Tech Hokies.

Billy Napier’s squad is ahead of four other SEC programs in the rankings, with the Arkansas Razorbacks (No. 50), Kentucky Wildcats (No. 77), Auburn Tigers (No. 89) and Mississippi State Bulldogs (No. 109) lagging behind Florida in the rankings.

USA TODAY Sports Week 10 re-rank top 10

The Oregon Ducks remained in the top perch this week followed by the Ohio State Buckeyes, who took over the second spot from Georgia, which comes in at third. The Miami Hurricanes and Penn State Nittany Lions wrap up the top five, respectively.

Coming in sixth are the Texas Longhorns, followed by the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Tennessee Volunteers, Indiana Hoosiers and BYU Cougars, respectively, to close out the top 10.

What’s next for the Gators?

Florida will go on the road and face the Texas Longhorns in Austin, Texas, on Saturday, Nov. 9. Kickoff is set for noon ET and will be broadcast on ABC.

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Florida inches up USA TODAY Sports re-rank following Week 9 bye

The Gators are still a top-50 team in USA TODAY Sports’ re-rank despite sitting out with a bye last weekend.

The Florida Gators enjoyed a bye on their college football schedule during Week 9 as they prepare for the biggest game of the fall next weekend. In the meantime, the collegiate gridiron was still ablaze with action, resulting in some changes in the polls and rankings.

The top eight in USA TODAY Sports’ re-rank put together by Paul Myerberg this week only saw one slight change — the Penn State Nittany Lions and Ohio State Buckeyes swapping the third and fourth positions, respectively. After that, there was quite a bit of shifting after yet another exciting weekend of competition, which resulted in the Gators gaining a wee bit of ground.

Florida’s Week 9 re-rank position

Myerberg lifted the Orange and Blue from No. 45 to No. 44 this week despite the Gators sitting on the sidelines. That wedges Florida between the No. 43 Virginia Tech Hokies and No. 45 USC Trojans.

Billy Napier’s squad is ahead of three other SEC programs in the rankings, with Kentucky Wildcats (No. 74), Auburn Tigers (No. 84) and Mississippi State Bulldogs (No. 108) lagging behind.

USA TODAY Sports Week 9 re-rank top 10

The Oregon Ducks remained in the top spot this week followed by the Georgia Bulldogs, whose positions remained unchanged. As mentioned above, Ohio State and Penn State trail behind at third and fourth, respectively, and the Miami Hurricanes clinch the top five.

Coming in sixth are the Iowa State Cyclones, followed by the Texas Longhorns, Clemson Tigers, Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Kansas State Wildcats, respectively, to wrap up the top 10.

Coming up for the Gators

Florida and Georgia face off for a Week 10 rivalry battle in Jacksonville on Saturday, Nov. 2 with kickoff slated for 3:30 p.m. ET. The pregame festivities will be featured on SEC Nation and the game will be broadcast on ABC.

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Husker Women’s Basketball ranks No. 23 in preseason USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll

Nebraska women’s basketball looks to field a strong team this season.

Nebraska women’s basketball came in at No. 23 in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll.

They look to build on their success from the 2023-24 season. The Huskers made it to the second round of the 2024 NCAA tournament and played in the Big Ten Tournament Championship Game. They finished with a 23-12 record overall.

This year’s squad features a nice mix of youth and returning talent. Alexis Markowski should be able to provide the Huskers with stability. Other players are trying to make their mark, such as freshman Britt Prince. She joins the program after a decorated high school career that included her winning the Nebraska High School Player of the Year Award twice.

All told, the Huskers return a balanced roster that figures to be one of the best in the Big Ten once again. This should be a deep roster for coach Amy Williams.

Rank	School (Last Year’s Record)	Points	First Place Votes
1	South Carolina (38-0)	770	27
2	Connecticut (33-6)	734	3
3	Southern California (29-6)	716	1
4	Texas (33-5)	670	–
5	Notre Dame (28-7)	629	–
6	UCLA (27-7)	612	–
7	LSU (31-6)	567	–
8	North Carolina State (31-7)	533	–
9	Iowa State (21-12)	487	–
10	Oklahoma (23-10)	457	–
11	Duke (22-12)	449	–
12	Baylor (26-8)	434	–
13	Kansas State (26-8)	407	–
14	Ohio State (26-6)	405	–
15	West Virginia (25-8)	285	–
16	North Carolina (20-13)	263	–
17	Louisville (24-10)	261	–
18	Maryland (19-14)	254	–
19	Florida State (23-11)	177	–
20	Creighton (26-6)	150	–
21	Mississippi (24-9)	135	–
22	Kentucky (12-20)	106	–
23	Nebraska (23-12)	92	–
24	Indiana (26-6)	75	–
25	Alabama (24-10)	57	–

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