Florida Men’s Basketball Makes its First AP Poll Top-Five Appearance Since Week One

A familiar face reemerged in the AP top-five NCAA men’s basketball poll on Monday. 

Florida (23-6, 14-2 SEC) jumped up two spots in the rankings after clinching a share of the regular season SEC title on Saturday. Only the Gators made it out alive, defeating No. 20 Arkansas 111-77. 

The No. 5 Gators have not appeared in  the top-five  since week one, when they were ranked No. 3 before their season-opening 93-87 loss to Arizona. 

Florida struggled at the beginning of the season to find a rhythm. After losing three starting guards (Walter Clayton Jr., Alijah Martin and Will Richard) who are now playing in the NBA and picking up two new guards in the transfer portal (Boogie Fland and Xaivian Lee), the Gators backcourt needed time to gel. 

Going into SEC play, Florida was shooting only 28.2% from the arc. Three of the Gators’ six losses were collected early on, all to teams that are now in the AP Top-Five rankings (No. 1 Duke, No. 2 Arizona and No. 4 UConn). By week nine, Florida dropped out of the poll completely. 

Since the loss to Auburn in January , Florida is on a nine-game winning streak. The Gators have been climbing up the poll ever since, and are now shooting 30.8% from the perimeter.  

The question of if Florida will receive a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament now looms in the air. The Gators have two games left against Mississippi State (13-16, 5-11) and Kentucky (19-10, 10-6),  before heading to Nashville, Tennessee for the SEC tournament.

Category: College Basketball, Gator Sports, Gators Men's Basketball, NCAA Tournament, SEC