Poll Shifts and Slides: Florida One of Many Teams to Move in Week 12
Florida slid to No. 19 on Monday following the 76-67 home loss to Auburn in a week full of drastic shifts for the top teams in college basketball. The drop was expected as the Gators entered Saturday’s contest as 11.5-point favorites and had not lost a game to Auburn in the O’Connell Center since 1996.
“Florida is still my highest-ranked SEC team on my ballot,” said Associated Press poll voter and Whole Hog Sports reporter Anthony Kristensen. “I think it’s probably a fair reflection of the result just because they did lose a home game.”
However, plenty of other teams, whether they directly impact Florida or not, experienced shifts this week.
No. 12 Purdue
An eight-spot slide from the Boilermakers was the biggest drop of Week 12, taking them from the No. 4 slot and booting them out of the top 10 and then some.
Purdue’s decline was a direct result of its 88-82 loss against Illinois on Saturday. The Boilermakers were 17-2 before facing the Fighting Illini and had only one conference loss. However, they clocked a second Saturday night, which pushed them below Illinois in the Big Ten.
“Purdue right now is really at a crossroads as far as what their season is going to be,” said Shawn O’Neal, the senior editor for Lindy’s Preseason College Basketball Magazine. “Voters are reacting to the health of Braden Smith and Trey Kaufman-Renn. That’s maybe the best one-two punch of upperclassmen in America.”
The Fighting Illini were ranked No. 11 coming into the matchup and were boosted to No. 9 this week. They sit at 17-3 and 8-1 in conference.
Purdue has a few unranked matchups in the near future to make up some ground before it faces three top-10 opponents before the end of February.
No. 15 Arkansas
Up five spots from No. 20, the Razorbacks are now the top-ranked team in the Southeastern Conference. The jump followed a big ranked win against then-No. 15 Vanderbilt last Tuesday and a second win against LSU on Saturday.
Like Florida, Arkansas sits at 5-2 in conference, but holds a 15-5 record. It also faced a tough non-conference schedule but has held up so far, falling to only one unranked opponent that has also bested the Gators, Auburn.
As far as the top-25 teams that have the biggest impact on Florida, Arkansas is one opponent the Gators should keep an eye on.
“That’s the only game on the schedule right now that Florida has against a team ranked ahead of it,” Kristensen said. “So I think that’s probably the biggest one.”
Florida faces Arkansas Feb. 28 at 8:30 at home.
No. 23 Alabama
Another one of Florida’s upcoming matchups took a hit in this week’s poll, with Alabama sliding six spots.
O’Neal said the drop was “a little aggressive” after the 79-73 loss to a solid Tennessee squad Saturday, but nonetheless, the Crimson Tide just hung on to the poll. They face a tough slate ahead, taking on Missouri before traveling to Gainesville to take on the Gators.
O’Neal noted both Florida and Alabama as SEC Championship contenders, so the matchup will be an important one.
The Gators take on Alabama at 1 p.m. Sunday at home, but first, they see South Carolina on Wednesday at 9 p.m. on the road.
Category: College Basketball, Gators Men's Basketball
