Expectations are sky-high for the Florida Gators entering the 2026-27 men's college basketball campaign after returning four starters and 81.8% of their scoring from last year's squad while re-adding Denzel Aberdeen, who was a key contributor to the program's national championship in 2025.
Things got off to a bit of a rough start in the team's first exhibition game of the preseason on Sunday, dropping its matchup with Baylor in overtime, 82-76, on a neutral court in Jacksonville. The biggest issue Todd Golden's team dealt with in the defeat was poor shooting from beyond the arc — an Achilles heel for the Orange and Blue last season that Aberdeen's addition was supposed to help resolve.
While those exhibition results were a bit disappointing, Florida
nonetheless finds itself atop the preseason AP Top 25 college basketball poll with 1,461 points and 47 first-place votes. That puts the Gators 50 points and 37 first-place votes ahead of No. 2 Duke, and 119 points and 45 first-place votes ahead of No. 3 Illinois.
The preseason poll includes seven SEC schools among the top 25, headlined by top-ranked Florida, followed by Texas (No. 7), Tennessee (No. 8), Arkansas (No. 12), Alabama (No. 20), Kentucky (No. 23) and Vanderbilt (No. 24). Missouri holds the de facto No. 26 spot with 167 points, while Texas A&M (6) and Auburn (4) also appeared on the initial ballot.
Florida will play its second exhibition game of the preseason against the Stetson Hatters on Oct. 27 inside the O'Connell Center. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. ET and the game will be broadcast on the SEC Network+.
Preseason AP Top 25 college basketball rankings
Others receiving votes
Missouri 167, Nebraska 70, Purdue 53, Ohio State 39, North Carolina 20, TCU 17, Saint Louis 13, VCU 12, Iowa 12, Virginia Tech 10, Indiana 8, Texas A&M 6, Villanova 6, Auburn 4, Marquette 3, Nevada 2, Grand Canyon 2, Utah State 2, Santa Clara 1
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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Florida lands at No. 1 in college basketball's preseason AP Top 25
