Sports · Basketball · 9 hrs ago
Florida tops preseason AP men's basketball poll
Florida was voted No.
1 in the preseason AP Top 25 men's college basketball poll for the 2026-27 season.
The Gators received 47 of 59 first-place votes from a panel of national media.
Duke and Illinois ranked second and third, while UConn and Arizona completed the top five.
Florida won the national championship two seasons ago, but last season it lost in the NCAA Tournament's second round after earning a No.
1 seed.
Four players from that championship team are back, giving Florida an experienced core.
Many teams still have eligibility questions as court cases affect whether some players can compete for another season.
The poll starts the season's rankings, but the teams' results will determine where they finish.
Florida was ranked No. 1 in the preseason AP Top 25 men’s basketball poll released Monday.
The Gators received 47 of 59 first-place votes, ahead of Duke and Illinois.
It is Florida’s first preseason No. 1 ranking since 2006.
Duke was ranked second with 10 first-place votes, and Illinois was third with two.
Florida coach Todd Golden said he wants the program to expect to contend at the top each season.
- Who
- Florida’s men’s basketball team, coached by Todd Golden.
- What
- Florida topped the preseason AP Top 25 poll, receiving 47 of 59 first-place votes.
- When
- Monday, Oct. 19, 2026.
- Where
- The poll is a national ranking; no specific location was stated.
- Why
- Florida’s returning experience helped make it the overwhelming choice. The sources do not state a single reason for the ranking.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Florida beat Houston to win the school’s third national championship, according to ESPN.
Florida won the Southeastern Conference regular-season championship but lost to Iowa in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
The preseason AP Top 25 poll was released with Florida at No. 1.
- Florida first-place votes
- 47 of 59
- Duke first-place votes
- 10
- Illinois first-place votes
- 2
- Florida’s last preseason No. 1 ranking
- 2006
- Poll release date
- Oct. 19, 2026
4 sources
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What people are saying
It's cool, but like, we've been No. 1 before. We won a national championship before. That's what I want our program to expect. That's what we want to kind of go into every season at.
I think we're more prepared this year for early-season expectations than we were last year.
I feel like we have a chance to win a national championship.
We didn't finish the way that we wanted last year, so everyone's kind of got that in the back of their head as motivation.