The Florida men’s basketball team will open up the 2024-25 schedule among the top 25 teams in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll, logging in at No. 21 ahead of Todd Golden’s third season as the Gators head coach.
The Orange and Blue had been ranked in the penultimate poll last spring, but an early exit from the NCAA Tournament resulted in being dropped from No. 23 to a de facto ranking of No. 27 with 44 points. The last time Florida began their hoops campaign among the top 25 was in 2019 when the Gators opened up at No. 6 in the nation.
SEC schools in the Coaches Poll top 25
The Southeastern Conference is represented by nine schools — including Florida — among the top 25. The Alabama Crimson Tide (2nd) are ranked the highest, followed by the Auburn Tigers (11th), Tennessee Volunteers (12th), Texas A&M Aggies (15th), Arkansas Razorbacks (16th), Texas Longhorns (19th), Kentucky Wildcats (22nd) and Ole Miss Rebels (25th).
The Mississippi State Bulldogs also earned two votes in the preseason poll.
Coaches Poll top 25 preseason rankings
| Rank | School | Last Year’s Record | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kansas | 23-11 | 743 (15) |
| 2 | Alabama | 25-12 | 718 (6) |
| 3 | Connecticut | 37-3 | 717 (6) |
| 4 | Houston | 32-5 | 698 (4) |
| 5 | Duke | 27-9 | 625 |
| 6 | Iowa State | 29-8 | 591 |
| 7 | Gonzaga | 27-8 | 575 |
| 8 | Baylor | 24-11 | 545 |
| 9 | Arizona | 27-9 | 510 |
| 10 | North Carolina | 29-8 | 498 |
| 11 | Auburn | 27-8 | 465 |
| 12 | Tennessee | 27-9 | 437 |
| 13 | Purdue | 34-5 | 390 |
| 14 | Creighton | 25-10 | 342 |
| 15 | Texas A&M | 21-15 | 332 |
| 16 | Arkansas | 16-17 | 272 |
| 17 | Marquette | 27-10 | 268 |
| 18 | Indiana | 19-14 | 208 |
| 19 | Texas | 21-13 | 166 |
| 20 | Cincinnati | 22-15 | 163 |
| 21 | Florida | 24-12 | 130 |
| 22 | UCLA | 16-17 | 123 |
| 23 | Kentucky | 23-10 | 95 |
| 24 | Illinois | 29-9 | 87 |
| 25 | Mississippi | 20-12 | 66 |
Others Receiving Votes
Texas Tech 60; Rutgers 57; St. John’s 42; Xavier 26; Michigan State 25; Oregon 16; BYU 16; Kansas State 11; Saint Mary’s 9; Boise State 9; Clemson 8; Ohio State 7; Dayton 7; Maryland 4; Grand Canyon 3; Wake Forest 2; Virginia 2; San Diego State 2; Princeton 2; Mississippi State 2; Wisconsin 1
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