With just a few weeks until the 2026-27 college basketball season tips off, CBS Sports has released its preseason predictions for the SEC.
The expectations for Florida men's basketball became very clear once the program retained its core pieces: championship or bust.
The Gators return four starters in Thomas Haugh, Rueben Chinyelu, Boogie Fland and Alex Condon from a team that earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive season. That continuity separates Florida from much of a college basketball landscape that continues to experience significant year-to-year roster turnover.
Todd Golden's gang enters the season as the favorite not only to win the SEC but also to compete for the national championship once again. The Gators
are also expected to rank No. 1 in the preseason AP Top 25 when it is released next week.
Florida is followed by Texas at No. 2 in the SEC preseason poll. The Longhorns reached the Sweet 16 during Sean Miller's first season and are expected to begin the year ranked inside the top 10 nationally.
Arkansas, Tennessee and Alabama rounded out the top five, respectively, while Vanderbilt, Kentucky, Missouri, Texas A&M and Auburn completed the top 10.
Florida's presence was just as strong when the conference announced its preseason All-SEC selections.
Haugh earned SEC Preseason Player of the Year honors after establishing himself as one of the conference's best players last season. Chinyelu joined him on the preseason All-SEC first team, giving Florida two of the five selections; Condon gave Florida a third preseason All-SEC selection after earning second-team honors.
Three players earning preseason All-SEC recognition emphasizes the high expectations for Florida as it enters the season.
This is something unprecedented. The Gators trio became the first trio to earn back-to-back All-SEC preseason honors. However, the Gators will have little time to settle into their status as the conference favorite.
Florida opens the season against in-state rival Miami on Nov. 2 in Tampa, providing an immediate test for a team expected to begin the year at the top of the college basketball world.
SEC preseason media poll
- Florida
- Texas
- Arkansas
- Tennessee
- Alabama
- Vanderbilt
- Kentucky
- Missouri
- Texas A&M
- Auburn
- Georgia
- Oklahoma
- Ole Miss
- LSU
- Mississippi State
- South Carolina
Preseason All-SEC first team
- Rueben Chinyelu, Florida
- Juke Harris, Tennessee
- Thomas Haugh, Florida
- Josh Hubbard, Mississippi State
- Tyler Tanner, Vanderbilt
Preseason All-SEC second team
- Amari Allen, Alabama
- Alex Condon, Florida
- Milan Momcilovic, Kentucky
- Jordan Smith Jr., Arkansas
- Matas Vokietaitis, Texas
Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as Bluesky, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.
This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Where Gators hoops stands in SEC 2026-27 preseason poll, predictions
