Florida men’s basketball opened the season where no Gators team has started very often: at No. 1.
The Associated Press preseason poll released Monday put Florida atop the nation, giving the program its second preseason No. 1 ranking in history. The only other time the Gators carried that label came before the 2006-07 season, when that team finished by winning a second straight national championship.
This group enters the year with plenty of poll history behind it, too. Florida has now been listed in the preseason top 10 15 times, but has cracked the preseason top five only three times.
Twice, that has happened under head coach Todd Golden. The Gators were also ranked No. 3 ahead of the 2025-26 campaign, a season that ended with an SEC championship and an NCAA No. 1 seed.
The No. 1 spot brings its own trivia. Since the 1984-85 season, when the NCAA Tournament expanded to 64 teams, only six of the 41 AP preseason No. 1 teams have gone on to win the national title.
Florida’s 2006-07 team is on that short list. No preseason No. 1 has finished the job since 2009.
The other teams to do it were UNLV in 1989-90, Duke in 1991-92, Kentucky in 1995-96, UConn in 2003-04 and North Carolina in 2008-09.
Florida’s path through nonconference play already looks packed with ranked opponents. The Gators are set to face eight teams in the AP preseason top 25, six of them SEC schools, with two more possible in the Players Era 8: Houston and Kansas.
Their opener is against Miami, which checked in at No. 14.
Duke followed Florida at No. 2 in the poll, with Illinois at No. 3, UConn at No. 4 and Arizona at No.
- Michigan State came in at No. 6, followed by Texas, Tennessee, Virginia and Houston.
The full preseason top 25 also included Louisville, Arkansas, St. John’s, Miami, Gonzaga, Michigan, Kansas, Iowa State, Texas Tech, Alabama, USC, UCLA, Kentucky, Vanderbilt and BYU.
Florida opponents and possible Players Era 8 opponents were marked throughout the poll, underscoring just how loaded the schedule is shaping up to be.
Single-game tickets for seven early-season Florida men’s basketball games are on sale now, including the Oct. 27 exhibition game and all nonconference games except for Duke. Single-game tickets for the 10 remaining home games will go on sale Tuesday, Oct. 27.
The SEC Saturday Pack includes all five Saturday home SEC dates, with games against Vanderbilt, Texas, Missouri, Georgia and Kentucky.
Fans can also verify their identity to become Swamp Certified and unlock access to exclusive ticket opportunities, including select presales before tickets go on sale to the general public. The Gators are also encouraging fans to complete the Gators Ticket Interest Form.
In Other News...
Miami Gets A New Injury Concern Before A Tough Pitt Test
Freshman wide receiver Milan Parris has popped up on Miamis injury report for the first time this season, adding another item for Mario Cristobal to monitor as the Hurricanes get ready for a difficult trip to Pitt. Miami has already been managing injury questions on the back end, and Cristobal recently indicated that star corners OJ Frederique and JaBoree Antoine are still expected back later in the season, a reminder that the roster is not yet at full strength.
The timing matters because Pitt brings its own health issues into the matchup, including several players sidelined and quarterback Mason Heintschel among them. Even with that in mind, Miami will still need to sort out its depth at receiver and keep an eye on how the injury list evolves through the week, especially with a conference test looming that could ask more of the Hurricanes than theyd prefer right now. [Read more 🡒]
Belichick's North Carolina Suddenly Has A Massive Chance Against No. 1 Miami
Miamis unbeaten start has put it in the familiar spot every contender wants and every opponent wants a shot at. The Hurricanes are 6-0 after a double-overtime win over Florida State, and they have Pitt coming up next before the calendar flips to Oct. 31, when they meet a North Carolina team that has quietly positioned itself as one of the more interesting challenges left on the schedule.
Bill Belichicks Tar Heels are 5-1 and have historically played Miami well, which gives the matchup a little extra edge beyond the rankings. For the Hurricanes, it is another chance to protect the No. 1 spot and keep momentum rolling, but it also arrives against a program that has already shown it can make this series uncomfortable for Miami. [Read more 🡒]
Miami Just Won Another Recruiting Battle That Should Excite Cristobal Fans
Miami kept its recruiting momentum rolling with another significant addition, landing four-star linebacker Alston Whiteside after he flipped his commitment from Texas A&M. The Burleson, Texas, prospect had been tied to the Aggies, but Miamis staff stayed after him and eventually won him over with the kind of pitch the Hurricanes have been building around under Mario Cristobal: relationships, culture and a clear path for development.
Whiteside arrives as a notable pickup in the 2027 class, where he is ranked as the No. 27 linebacker and becomes the 20th commitment overall. For Miami, the move is another sign that its recruiting effort is resonating far beyond South Florida, with the Hurricanes continuing to stack talent at a pace that keeps the class among the nations most watched. [Read more 🡒]