HOOPS: Florida checks in at No. 3 in Preseason Coaches Poll
Florida will enter the 2025-26 men’s basketball season with lofty expectations once again. The Gators checked in at No. 3 in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll released Wednesday, their highest spot in nearly two decades. They even earned a first-place vote.
It’s a rare position for the program, marking just the third time Florida has been ranked in the top five to start a season. The Gators last opened that high in 2006-07, when they began No. 1 before going on to win a second straight national title. The 2001-02 team also started at No. 5.
The Gators’ schedule will put that ranking to the test. Florida is slated to play nine games against eight teams featured in the preseason top 25, with a potential 10th matchup against Wisconsin at the Rady Children’s Invitational. Four more opponents received votes in the poll.
Florida also appeared at No. 3 in the Associated Press preseason poll earlier this month, solidifying its spot among the nation’s elite heading into November. The Gators tip off the season Nov. 3 against Arizona in the Hall of Fame Series Las Vegas.
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Coaches Preseason Top 25
First-place votes in parentheses
- Purdue (18)
- Houston (12)
- Florida (1)
- UConn*
- Duke*
- St. John’s
- Michigan
- BYU
- Kentucky*
- Louisville
- Texas Tech
- UCLA
- Arizona*
- Illinois
- Arkansas*
- Alabama*
- Tennessee*
- Iowa State
- Kansas
- Gonzaga
- Michigan State
- Auburn*
- Creighton
- Wisconsin^
- North Carolina
Receiving votes: NC State, Oregon, San Diego State, Ohio State, Baylor, Virginia, Vanderbilt*, Texas*, Villanova, Missouri*, Ole Miss*, Washington, Saint Mary’s, Iowa, Cincinnati, VCU, Oklahoma State, Kansas State, Boise State.
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