Florida basketball enters the 2026-27 season with expectations that go well beyond simply making the NCAA Tournament.
CBS Sports' Cameron Salerno placed the Gators in the highest group of his preseason Final Four tiers, labeling Florida one of four legitimate national championship favorites alongside Duke, Illinois and UConn.
The four programs also occupy the top four spots in the preseason AP Top 25, with Florida starting at No. 1.
Salerno divided every team in the preseason top 25 into four tiers based on its chances of reaching the Final Four in Detroit. The S Tier is reserved for legitimate title favorites, while the A Tier consists of teams capable of winning the championship if things break their way.
Florida's case starts with what CBS Sports
called "the best frontcourt in college basketball."
Thomas Haugh, Rueben Chinyelu and Alex Condon are entering their third season together after helping the Gators win the 2025 national championship and earn consecutive No. 1 seeds in the NCAA Tournament. Their size, experience, and physicality give Florida a group that can wear teams down over a game.
CBS Sports also expects the backcourt to improve. Boogie Fland and Urban Klavžar return, while Denzel Aberdeen is back in Gainesville after spending last season at Kentucky.
CBS Sports' preseason Final Four tiers
S Tier — Legitimate national title favorites: Florida, Duke, Illinois, UConn
A Tier — Can win it all if things break right: Arizona, Michigan State, Texas, Tennessee, Louisville, Arkansas, Kansas, Texas Tech
B Tier — Roster questions, but talented enough to reach the Final Four: Virginia, Houston, St. John's, Miami, Gonzaga
C Tier — Second-weekend teams with Final Four upside: Michigan, Iowa State, Alabama, USC, UCLA, Kentucky, Vanderbilt, BYU
Florida is one of five SEC programs placed in the top two tiers, joining Texas, Tennessee and Arkansas in the A Tier. Alabama, Kentucky and Vanderbilt landed in the C Tier.
The Gators will enter the season with the target that comes with a No. 1 preseason ranking, but CBS Sports sees the roster as one capable of living up to it.
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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: CBS Sports puts Florida among top national title contenders
