Florida basketball finds itself ranked inside the top three of multiple preseason polls.
Despite returning nine players from its national championship run, Florida does not find itself as the preseason No.1 team. The Gators finished last season with a 36-4 overall record and a 14-4 mark in the SEC.
In the Associated Press Poll that was released on Monday, Oct. 13, the Gators were voted as the No. 3 team with Purdue earning the top ranking and Houston sitting at No. 2.
The Gators are set to face as many as eight preseason AP top 25 teams, which includes No. 4 UConn, No. 6 Duke, No. 9 Kentucky, No. 14 Arkansas, No. 15 Alabama, No. 18 Tennessee and No. 20 Auburn. Notably, UF also has five opponents receiving votes, which are Texas, Ole Miss, Missouri, Vanderbilt and Mississippi State.
In the ESPN preseason rankings, which was released earlier in October, Florida was ranked No. 2 behind Purdue.
The preseason KenPom rankings, unveiled on Oct. 12, also had Florida listed as No. 2, with Houston earning the top spot. UF is set to face seven different teams that are within the preseason top 25 ratings.
Florida will open the season against Arizona in Las Vegas on Nov. 3
Reach Florida Gators writer Andrew Abadie at aabadie@gannett.com or on X (formerly Twitter) at @AndrewAbadie. You can also find him on Facebook at Andrew Abadie Sports Reporter or on Instagram @andrewabadie_sports.
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Where Florida basketball ranks in preseason AP poll, KenPom, other preseason polls
Reporting by Andrew Abadie, Gainesville Sun / The Gainesville Sun
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