Gators hoops ranked in USA TODAY Sports Coaches Preseason Poll

Jan 7, 2017; Gainesville, FL, USA; Nikes basketballs are ready for practice before an NCAA men’s basketball game between the Florida Gators and the Tennessee Volunteers at Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports

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;…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/gators-hoops-ranked-usa-today-163959097.html

Author : Gators Wire

Publish date : 2024-10-23 16:39:00

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