The wait is over, and Florida men’s basketball is No. 1 – for now.
Florida not only found itself at the top of the SEC’s preseason selection, but is the only conference team to have three players, one a Player of the Year, make an All-SEC team, the league announced Monday.
The Gators are the SEC’s pick to win the conference two years in a row, despite a shocking round-two exit in the NCAA tournament last season.
Even so, Florida lived up to the preseason hype. The team ended the season 27-8, with a 16-2 conference record. That performance led to an SEC regular-season title for the Gators after a definitive 108-74 win against Mississippi State.
Being the top team in the conference for consecutive seasons may put pressure on some teams, but Florida plans to use that pressure as fuel. When asked about potentially being the No. 1 team in the preseason, Thomas Haugh, the preseason SEC POY, felt confident in Florida’s ability to handle the expectations.
“We’re going to take it,” Haugh said. “We’re made for these moments … Whether we’re [ranked] one, two, three, four, whatever, we’re going to go out there and play our style of ball.”
Texas followed the Gators as the SEC preseason No. 2 team.
The Longhorns finished last season 9-9 in conference play, falling to Florida 84-71 at home. Texas’ top scorer, Dailyn Swain, was drafted 15th in this summer’s NBA Draft – he averaged 17.3 points, 7.5 rebounds and shot 54.2% from the field.
Even with losing their biggest offensive threat, the Longhorns’ second-best scorer, Matas Vokietaitis, stayed. The 7-footer averaged 15.6 points and 7.1 rebounds in his sophomore season. He also made the preseason All-SEC Second Team.
Arkansas joins the projected top-three teams in the conference. The reigning SEC tournament champions held a 13-5 conference record, but lost major contributors Darius Acuff Jr. and Meleek Thomas, who were both drafted by the Sacramento Kings and Cleveland Cavaliers, respectively. The Razorbacks retain preseason All-SEC Third Team member Billy Richmond III, who averaged 11.2 points and 4.3 rebounds.
Haugh is a member of the preseason All-SEC first team along with teammate Rueben Chinyelu. Alex Condon was named to the second team.
Last year, Haugh made the preseason All-SEC third team and ended the season as an All-American and All-SEC First-Team member. He took a major leap from his sophomore to junior campaign, increasing from 9.8 to 17.1 points a game.
The work for Haugh is not done yet. After deciding to return to Florida and withdraw from the NBA Draft, he worked to improve his game, focusing on left-hand finishing and his off-the-ball shooting.
Haugh is not the only Gator who chose the program over the NBA. Both Chinyelu and Condon made the same decision this summer.
Chinyelu averaged 11.2 rebounds a game, the first Gator to do so in 50 years. His record-breaking performance last season led him to become Florida’s first Naismith Defensive Player of the Year and the 2026 SEC Defensive Player of the Year.
How does a SEC and national defensive player of the year elevate his game? He said to get better in every aspect of his game each day.
“Most important is that I’m touching up every [all] around,” Chinyelu said last month. “Getting better with my handles, my passes, rebounding.”
Condon also put in work in the offseason to improve his game. The Australian averaged 15 points and 7.7 rebounds, earning himself a spot on the 2026 All-SEC Second Team and the National Association of Basketball Coaches First Team.
Condon plans to translate the experience he gained this summer to the college realm. He made his Australian national team debut in July, where he averaged five points and six rebounds in two games.
Playing with professionals not only gave Condon insight into what playing in the NBA could be like, but also offered valuable lessons about the game at a higher level.
“It’s just good to play in a big environment or with professionals,” he said. “They’ve been in this a lot longer than me and just find[ing] out ways to stay strong mentally.”
The Big Three join coach Todd Golden for SEC Media Day in Birmingham, Alabama, on Wednesday for the second year in a row. Golden will be the first coach to speak Wednesday at 10:05 a.m. ET on the SEC Network.
