Skip to main content
Florida

Gators at No. 2 in final ESPN preseason hoop rankings

On3 imageby: Keith Niebuhr10/09/25On3Keith
Rueben-Chinyelu-Florida-Gators
Florida Gators center Rueben Chinyelu (9) rebounds against Auburn Tigers forward Chaney Johnson (31) in the semifinals of the men's Final Four of the 2025 NCAA Tournament at the Alamodome. (Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images)

ESPN thinks the Florida Gators have enough talent to contend for a second straight basketball national championship. Jeff Borzello revealed ESPN’s final preseason rankings Thursday and Todd Golden’s team checked in at No. 2, with Purdue in the top spot.

Wrote Borzello: “Could Florida go back-to-back? After what Todd Golden did to revamp the backcourt in the offseason, it’s not out of the question. The Gators were already bringing back one of the nation’s elite frontcourts, with potential first-rounders Alex Condon and Thomas Haugh (an easy breakout candidate) leading the way — but then Golden went out and landed impact transfers Boogie Fland and Xaivian Lee to start on the perimeter. There could be some growing pains early, but this starting five is as talented as it gets.”

UF went 36-4 last season and claimed the program’s third national title by beating No. 1 seeds Auburn and Houston in the Final Four. But the Gators had to replace four departing guards this offseason: All-American point guard Walter Clayton, starters Alijah Martin and Will Richard, and backup Denzel Aberdeen.

Fland, a rising sophomore listed at 6-foot-2 and 175 pounds, was On3’s No. 1 point guard in the class of 2024 out of Archbishop Stepinac in New York. At Arkansas last season, he averaged 13.5 points, 5.1 assists, and 3.2 rebounds in 21 games (18 starts). He shot 37.9 percent from the field and 34.0 percent from three, with just 1.4 turnovers per game—strong numbers for a freshman primary ball-handler.

Lee, a rising senior from Princeton, brings poise and polish. He averaged 16.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 5.5 assists, shooting 43.9 percent from the floor and 36.6 percent from three. His assist-to-turnover ratio stood at an impressive 2.5:1, and he knocked down 78.9 percent of his free throws.

Meanwhile, the Florida front court is loaded.

Junior forward/center Alex Condon who is 6-foot-11, earned second-team All-SEC honors last season; he averaged 10.7 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.2 assists a game for the national champion Florida Gators. Condon made his presence felt on both ends, as evidenced by his 49 blocks.

Like Condon, sophomore center Rueben Chinyelu also withdrew from the NBA draft. Meanwhile, 7-foot-1 center Micah Handlogten also is back. And, Tommy Haugh, a power-forward last season who had several big games for UF, will transition to small-forward moving forward.

“There’s not a better front court to start the season than what Florida has in terms of the talent, size and depth,” ESPN’s Jimmy Dykes told Gators Online this summer. They go four or five bodies deep that you can throw out there for extended minutes that are really, really good. And Haugh at the three now is very intriguing.”

Elswhere, it’s not just Fland and Lee who’ll be expected to step up in the backcourt. Returners Urban Klavzar and Isaiah Brown are poised for bigger roles, Ohio transfer AJ Brown has game, while the Gators have reloaded with two top-50 recruits in the 2025 class: CJ Ingram and Alex Lloyd, both 4-star prospects who add depth and versatility to the backcourt.

UF’s season opener in Las Vegas against Arizona on Nov. 3.

Florida Gators 2025-26 Schedule (All times Eastern)

DateDayOpponentLocationTime (ET)TV
Nov. 3MondayArizona (Hall of Fame Series)Las Vegas, NV7 p.m. TNT Sports
Nov. 6ThursdayNORTH FLORIDAGAINESVILLE, FL8:00SEC+
Nov. 11TuesdayFLORIDA STATEGAINESVILLE, FL7:00SEC Net.
Nov. 16SundayMiami (Fla.)Jacksonville, FL8:30ESPN
Nov. 21FridayMERRIMACKGAINESVILLE, FL7:00SEC+
Nov. 27ThursdayTCU (Rady Children’s)San Diego, CA3:00FS1
Nov. 28FridayProvidence/Wisconsin (Rady Children’s)San Diego, CA3:00/5:30FOX
Dec. 2TuesdayDuke (ACC-SEC Challenge)Durham, NC7:30ESPN
Dec. 9TuesdayUConn (Jimmy V Classic)New York, NY9:00ESPN
Dec. 13SaturdayGeo. Washington (Orange Bowl)Sunrise, FL2:30ESPN2
Dec. 17WednesdaySAINT FRANCISGAINESVILLE, FL6:30SEC Net.
Dec. 21SundayCOLGATEGAINESVILLE, FL12:00SEC+
Dec. 29MondayDARTMOUTHGAINESVILLE, FL6:00SEC Net.
Jan. 3SaturdayMissouriColumbia, MO8:30SEC Net.
Jan. 6TuesdayGEORGIAGAINESVILLE, FL7:00SEC Net.
Jan. 10SaturdayTENNESSEEGAINESVILLE, FL12:00ESPN/2
Jan. 13TuesdayOklahomaNorman, OK9:00ESPN2/U
Jan. 17SaturdayVanderbiltNashville, TN2:00ESPN/2/U
Jan. 20TuesdayLSUGAINESVILLE, FL7:00ESPN2
Jan. 24SaturdayAUBURNGAINESVILLE, FL4/4:30ESPN/2
Jan. 28WednesdaySouth CarolinaColumbia, SC9:00SEC Net.
Feb. 1SundayALABAMAGAINESVILLE, FL1:00ABC
Feb. 7SaturdayTexas A&MCollege Station, TX8:30SEC Net.
Feb. 11WednesdayGeorgiaAthens, GA7:00ESPN2/U
Feb. 14SaturdayKENTUCKYGAINESVILLE, FL3:00ABC
Feb. 17TuesdaySOUTH CAROLINAGAINESVILLE, FL7:00SEC Net.
Feb. 21SaturdayOle MissOxford, MS12:00ESPN/2
Feb. 25WednesdayTexasAustin, TX7:00ESPN2/U
Feb. 28SaturdayARKANSASGAINESVILLE, FL8:30ESPN/2
March 3TuesdayMISSISSIPPI STATEGAINESVILLE, FL8:00SEC Net.
March 7SaturdayKentuckyLexington, KY4:00ESPN/2
March 11-15 SEC Tournament

You may also like