The college basketball season is heating up, and as conference play kicks into high gear, we’re starting to see which teams are finding their rhythm-and which ones are still searching for answers. One team that’s made a serious statement in recent weeks?
Florida. After a sluggish start to the season, the Gators have flipped the script in SEC play, rattling off four straight wins and climbing to the top of the conference standings alongside Texas A&M at 4-1.
What’s been most impressive about Florida’s turnaround isn’t just the win streak-it’s who they’ve beaten along the way. Three of those four victories came against ranked opponents, including a key win over No.
14 Vanderbilt. That kind of résumé boost doesn’t go unnoticed, and sure enough, the Gators jumped four spots in the latest Coaches Poll, landing at No.
- That puts them ahead of fellow SEC contenders Alabama (No. 17) and Arkansas (No. 20), both of whom they leapfrogged this week.
Florida’s resurgence is a reminder of how quickly things can shift once conference play begins. A team that looked middling in non-conference action now looks like a legitimate contender in the SEC-and possibly beyond. With momentum on their side, the Gators are playing with the confidence of a group that knows it can compete with anyone.
Meanwhile, Kansas is putting together a midseason surge of its own in the Big 12. The Jayhawks sent a message last week with back-to-back blowout wins over top competition.
First, they handed previously unbeaten No. 9 Iowa State a 21-point loss-an eye-opening result that shook up the top 10.
Then, they followed it up with an 18-point win over Baylor, another high-quality opponent.
That kind of dominance doesn’t just earn you wins-it earns you respect. Kansas jumped six spots in the Coaches Poll, climbing from No. 25 to No.
- Bill Self’s squad is showing signs of rounding into form at just the right time, and if they keep this up, they won’t be flying under the radar for long.
At the top of the rankings, Arizona continues to hold firm at No. 1, maintaining its undefeated record and all 31 first-place votes. The Wildcats are one of just three unbeaten teams left in the country, joined by Nebraska and Miami (Ohio).
Nebraska moved up three spots to No. 7, continuing a quietly impressive season. Miami (Ohio), while still outside the Top 25, is inching closer-just three spots out after receiving 19 votes.
On the flip side, Iowa State and Vanderbilt both took a hit this week after suffering two losses apiece. The Cyclones slid seven spots to No. 9 after their loss to Kansas, while the Commodores dropped from No. 8 to No.
- Both teams had been riding high as unbeatens just a week ago, but in the world of college hoops, things can change fast.
Here’s how the full Coaches Poll shakes out as of January 19:
Coaches Poll (First-place votes in parentheses):
- Arizona (31)
- Michigan
- UConn
- Purdue
- Duke
- Houston
- Nebraska
- Gonzaga
- Iowa State
- Michigan State
- Illinois
- Texas Tech
- BYU
- Vanderbilt
- Virginia
- Florida
- Alabama
- Clemson
- Kansas
- Arkansas
- Louisville
- Georgia
- Saint Louis
- North Carolina
- St.
John’s
Others receiving votes:
Iowa (52), Wisconsin (20), Miami (OH) (19), Utah State (14), Villanova (10), Tennessee (10), Saint Mary’s (9), Miami (FL) (8), Texas A&M (5), Kentucky (5), SMU (4), Seton Hall (2), UCF (1), George Mason (1)
As the season rolls on, the margins will only get thinner, and the stakes even higher. Florida and Kansas are proving that it’s not how you start-it’s how you adjust, respond, and rise when it matters most. Conference play is where contenders separate from the pack, and right now, both the Gators and Jayhawks are making their case loud and clear.