Florida Jumps to No. 17 in Men’s AP Poll After Dominant Week
After securing two dominant wins this week, Gators men’s basketball climbed two places to No. 17 in the AP Poll after Week 13. Following a week packed with surprises for both the Southeastern Conference and the top 25, there were some mixed reviews.
While not too many teams saw significant jumps this week, there was one major fall that has repercussions for the SEC.
No. 21 Arkansas
Down six places, No. 21 Arkansas took the biggest blow of any top-25 team this week.
The Razorbacks (16-6, 6-3 SEC) fell Saturday to unranked Kentucky 85-77. The loss curbed a three-game win streak that included a victory against No. 15 Vanderbilt and marked only their third of the season.
“I think that’s obviously going to be the most significant one just from a pure numbers standpoint,” said Anthony Kristensen, AP Poll voter and reporter for Whole Hog Sports.
The furthest falls other than Arkansas were No. 9 Nebraska and No. 24 Louisville, who each dropped four spots.
Despite the drop, Shawn O’Neal, the senior editor for Lindy’s Preseason College Basketball Magazine said Arkansas is the only team other than Florida that he sees as a national championship contender in the SEC.
No. 15 Vanderbilt
Despite being taken down by the Gators at home 98-94 on Jan. 17, the Commodores (19-3, 6-3 SEC) still rank above Florida in the poll. Furthermore, they are the highest-ranked SEC team in the top 25.
“I know that again Vanderbilt is the highest-ranked team in the SEC right now for the ballot in general, but for my personal ballot, I voted Florida as the highest-ranked SEC team just because I do think that Florida has the highest ceiling to me when its clicking like it was in that Alabama game,” Kristensen said.
This week, the Commodores improved by three slots after topping both Kentucky and Ole Miss in Week 13. They are now on a three-game win streak since the loss to Arkansas, blowing out Mississippi State 88-56 on Jan. 24. Going forward, they have only one ranked opponent left on their schedule.
Texas A&M (RV)
Left just off the list with 83 votes, the Aggies (17-4, 7-1 SEC) are a clear SEC contender. They hold the number one spot in the SEC, taking their only loss in conference play against Tennessee in double overtime.
Recently, TAMU has been on a hot streak, winning its last four games but against unranked opponents. Despite the weaker SEC opponents being behind them, the Aggies are the team the SEC is targeting as it brings up the front end of the conference.
O’Neal logged Florida’s upcoming matchup with Texas A&M as one of its toughest remaining.
The Gators take on Texas A&M on Saturday at 8:30 p.m. in College Station, Texas.
Category: Basketball, College Basketball, Gators Men's Basketball, SEC
