With Florida basketball’s offseason moves finalized, the Gators are expected to be at the top of the preseason rankings.
Since the national championship game, more than 2,700 players entered the transfer portal and 90 of ESPN’s top 100 players committed, while another 60 entered the NBA Draft.
Florida essentially dodged the majority of those headaches, which is why multiple way-too-early top-25 rankings have UF listed as the consensus preseason No. 1 team.
The Gators sealed the return of its elite front court of Alex Condon, Thomas Haugh and Rueben Chinyelu, who withdrew his name from the NBA Draft last month.
Florida leads the country statistically in retention, bringing back 78.8% of its minutes and 87.2% of its scoring from last season. UF also re-added Denzel Aberdeen, who spent last season at Kentucky after helping Florida win the national title in the 2024-25 season. Aberdeen has a pending waiver, but the program is optimistic that the NCAA will grant it.
Florida’s front court also returns veterans Boogie Fland, Isaiah Brown and SEC Sixth Man of the Year Urban Klavzar.
In ESPN’s Jeff Borzello’s initial rankings, he featured the Gators at No. 3, but since the recent return of Florida’s star power trio, he has raised Florida to No. 1. Both On3 and, most recently, Sports Illustrated named Florida its No. 1-ranked team due to roster continuity.
Florida will open its season against Miami in Tampa on Nov. 2. The rest of the schedule will feature highlight matchups with Notre Dame in Las Vegas and Duke at the O’Dome.
Reach Florida Gators writer Andrew Abadie at AAbadie@usatodayco.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 does Florida basketball stand in the way-too-early top 25 rankings?
Reporting by Andrew Abadie, Gainesville Sun / The Gainesville Sun
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By Andrew Abadie, Gainesville Sun | USA TODAY Network
