Florida is No. 1 again. Last season explains why the Gators still have something to prove

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Florida opens the 2026-27 men’s college basketball season atop the AP Top 25, with 47 of 59 first-place votes. The ranking puts the Gators back in familiar territory after their 2025 national championship, but it also brings an uncomfortable recent memory: last season began with Florida at No. 3, then saw the Gators fall out of the poll by early January.

They recovered to win the SEC regular-season title, only to lose to Iowa as a No. 1 seed in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. That sharp turn makes this preseason ranking more than a compliment. It is a test of whether Florida can carry lofty expectations through the long middle of the season.

The Gators are No. 1 in the men's basketball preseason AP Poll 🏀 https://t.co/5ft3dT7FMH

— ESPN (@espn) October 19, 2026

The No. 1 ranking comes with a built-in reminder

The Gators have a compelling case. Thomas Haugh, Alex Condon and Rueben Chinyelu are back from the title team, while Denzel Aberdeen returns after spending last season at Kentucky. That gives coach Todd Golden a core that has experienced the biggest stage and the frustration of a season that ended short of its goal.

Florida’s returning group is a real advantage in a sport where rosters can change dramatically from one year to the next. But last season showed that experience alone does not make a team immune to a rough stretch. The Gators will need to turn their familiarity with each other into steadier play when the schedule gets difficult.

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Duke and Illinois are close enough to make this a race

Duke received 10 first-place votes and sits at No. 2. Illinois is No. 3 after receiving the other two. Florida has a strong lead in the vote, but the poll offers no guarantees once the games begin. UConn and Arizona round out the top five, giving the preseason ranking a crowded championship conversation from the start.

Golden has said the program should expect to compete at this level. That is the mindset of a team that has won a title. The challenge is matching that confidence with the consistency Florida lacked last winter. The No. 1 spot is a headline today; keeping the Gators there will take months of work.