Florida Gators Men's Basketball Ranked in Preseason Coaches Poll

Expectations for the Florida Gators are back on the rise after the success of last season

The Florida Gators are ranked to start the season for the first time this decade / Doug Engle/Gainesville Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Florida Gators Men’s Basketball receives further recognition heading into the regular season. The Coaches Poll has named the Gators 21st in the preseason poll. 

preseason rank pic.twitter.com/Km53zPiEZ2

— Florida Gators Men’s Basketball (@GatorsMBK) October 28, 2024

Apparently 21 is a trendy number for this team. It’s the exact same ranking the Gators have in the AP preseason poll. Just like the AP Poll, they’re ranked ahead of some other notable programs such as Kentucky. 

It’s the first time the Gators have been ranked in the preseason Coaches Poll since they were ranked No. 6 ahead of the 2019-20 season. It was also the last time they were ranked in the preseason AP Poll - they were also No. 6. 

It’s a nice sign that the program is back on the rise, and they certainly earned the nod.  

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. 

Some highlights of that season include wins over ranked Alabama, both during the regular season and in the conference tournament, and ranked Kentucky. 

Despite the strong run last season, they were knocked out of March Madness out of the gate with a 102-100 loss to the Colorado Buffaloes. 

However, the upset didn’t hinder expectations. It’s no longer a question of if the Gators will make the tournament or settle for the NIT, but instead it's how far they will make it in the big dance. 

They’ll have plenty of opportunities to further establish themselves as a team to beat with nine ranked teams on the schedule. Eight of those teams are on the SEC schedule including an out-of-conference game with UNC.