With July being a quiet month for the college basketball landscape, programs flip the page from the current rosters to future recruiting trails.
In ESPN’s latest way-too-early top 25 rankings for July, they focused on key non-conference games, tough early-season matchups, and impact newcomers.
The NCAA granted a class-wide preliminary injunction in Colorado on July 31, which has given, at least temporarily, an extra year of eligibility to a lot of college athletes searching for an extra year of eligibility or looking to return after falling short of reaching their professional goals.
The class-wide preliminary injunction did benefit the Florida Gators and Denzel Aberdeen, so how does that affect the rankings?
The Florida Gators still land at the No. 1 spot, remaining aligned with the previous rankings.
Since returning their elite frontcourt, the Gators have been deemed the preseason No. 1 team all summer, and the favorites to win the national championship for their second title in three years.
With Aberdeen cleared to play through the preliminary injunction, he will slide into the off-guard spot next to Boogie Fland, with Thomas Haugh, Alex Condon, and Rueben Chinyelu playing in the frontcourt alongside them as the Gators’ projected starting five.
Florida will have an early-season test within the first month of the season as they host the Duke Blue Devils in an ACC-SEC Challenge rematch from last season. As a No. 1 and No. 2, this game will be a great measuring stick for the Gators to see where they sit among the nation’s best.
The Gators open the season on Nov. 2 against the Miami Hurricanes in Tampa, Florida.
ESPN’s Men’s Way-Too-Early Top 25 rankings
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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Here’s where Florida basketball ranks in ESPN’s way-too-early top 25
Reporting by Michael Trim Jr, Gators Wire / Gators Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Michael Trim Jr, Gators Wire | USA TODAY Network
