Florida Gators Basketball Ranked No. 21 in Preseason AP Top 25

The Florida Gators men's basketball program enters the upcoming season as a preseason ranked team for the first time under Todd Golden and first time since 2019.

Florida head coach Todd Golden works with his team during the first half of an SEC tournament semifinal game against Texas A&M at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., Saturday, March 16, 2024. / Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK

GAINESVILLE, Fla.-- The Preseason AP Top 25 for basketball was released on Monday with the Florida Gators finding themselves included ranked No. 21 to begin the season.

This is the first time since 2019 that the Gators appear on a Preseason AP Top 25. However, they did make an appearance in the regular season AP poll back in February of last season. 

It is no surprise to see the Gators on this list, though.

They had an impressive 2023-24 under now third-year head coach Todd Golden. During his second year at the helm, Golden and the Gators went 24-12 (11-7 in SEC), received an NCAA Tournament bid for the first time since the 2020-21 campaign and made the SEC Tournament final for the first time in a decade. 

Also, these 24 wins are the most in a season since 2016-17 when the Gators accumulated 27 wins. 

One of the big reasons this team is highly-regarded going into the new season is because of its returning pieces. Florida will return starters Walter Clayton Jr., Will Richard and will also get key bench pieces Alex Condon, Denzel Aberdeen and Thomas Haugh back in the fold as well. 

But it isn’t just who it returns. It is also who the Gators added this summer as to why they start the season inside the AP Top 25. Through the portal, Golden brought in FAU transfer Alijah Martin, Chattanooga transfer Sam Alexis and Washington State transfer Rueben Chinyelu, all of which have the potential to start for the Gators when the season opens. 

And while the Gators boast a strong squad, so will most of the teams on their schedule. Among the teams on the docket for 2024-25, nine of them are ranked inside the Preseason AP Top 25. Eight are SEC teams and one is from the ACC. The lone team not from the SEC that the Gators will share the court with is North Carolina, who it plays against on December 17th. 

However, the first time fans will get to see the Gators in action will be at the beginning of November. They open their season at 8:30 pm on November 4th against South Florida.