College basketball rankings: Florida Gators up to No. 4 in AP Top 25, highest placement since preseason

Basketball

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Image Credit: Victoria Riccobono, UAA

The reigning national champion Florida Gators began the 2025-26 college basketball season with the greatest expectations surrounding the program in two decades. That was solidified with a No. 3 ranking in the preseason polls — UF’s highest placement entering a season in 19 years — which meant the only direction Florida would head as the campaign progressed was slightly downward.

That decline took the Gators all the way out of the rankings, though they quickly bounced back into the top 25 and have now returned to sitting just one spot lower than they opened the campaign.

At 14-2 in SEC play and having won the SEC regular-season championship for the first time since 2014, UF is ahead of its pace from last season, and it’s beating opponents more definitively, too. Plus, three of its six losses are to teams ranked No. 1, No. 2 and No. 6 — all occurring away from home in November and December.

Florida moved up one spot Monday — eight over the last three weeks — to No. 4 in the AP Top 25. It similarly rose one spot to No. 4 in the Coaches Poll.

Expectations remain high for the Gators with the SEC Tournament and NCAA Tournament ahead. Florida played seven teams ranked in this week’s top 25.

AP Top 25, March 9

1. Duke (56) | L 66-67 (Dec. 2)
2. Arizona (4) | L 87-93 (Nov. 3)
3. Michigan (1)
4. Florida
5. Houston
6. UConn | L 73-77 (Dec. 9)
7. Iowa State
8. Michigan State
9. Illinois
10. Virginia
11. Nebraska
12. Gonzaga
13. St. John’s
14. Kansas
15. Alabama | W 100-77 (Feb. 1)
16. Texas Tech
17. Arkansas | W 111-77 (Feb. 28)
18. Purdue
19. North Carolina
20. Miami (OH)
21. Saint Mary’s
22. Vanderbilt | W 98-94 (Jan. 17)
23. Wisconsin
24. Louisville
25. Tennessee | W 91-67 (Jan. 10)