Gators Men’s Basketball Named Best in the State

As the Florida Gators men’s basketball programs continues its upward trajectory, they received some recognition compared to its in-state peers

The Florida Gators are getting national recognition for where they stand among other Florida teams. / Doug Engle/Gainesville Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Slowly but surely, the Florida Gators men’s basketball program is edging closer to a return to relevancy. It’s not quite back in order for the Gators, but they are still taking steps in the right direction. 

On Wednesday, CBS Sports Senior Writer Matt Norlander released a ranking of the best team from each state for the upcoming season, and the Gators sit atop the leaderboard for the State of Florida. It wasn’t a hard decision for Norlander either. 

“Todd Golden's Gators are comfortably in the top spot going into November,” Norlander said. “...Gainesville should have the best team in the Sunshine State, led by Walter Clayton Jr. and FAU transfer Alijah Martin in the backcourt.”

This 1-2 punch for the Gators will surely be one of the best in the state in 2024-25 and maybe they can do enough to be one of the top duos in the country as well. If that comes to fruition, then it’s very easy to see why he has them at the No. 1 spot. 

It also makes it easier to rank the Gators No. 1 when their rivals and other competitors have been struggling in recent years. Norlander mentioned some of the teams that were in contention. However, they never really stood a chance to overtake the Gators at the top. 

“FAU is undergoing a coaching change, Florida State isn't relevant these days and Miami is hoping to surge back after a bad 2023-24,” Norlander said. 

In the Seminoles case, they managed just to stay above water last year by having a record of 17-16 and 10-10 in the ACC. But they did get obliterated by the Gators in their early season matchup in Gainesville, losing 68-89. 

As for the other in-state rival, the Hurricanes, they probably lucked out not playing against the Gators in 2023-24. Miami finished below .500 last season. They were 15-17 and 6-14 in the ACC. The craziest part about their season is that despite starting the year hot, they actually ended the year on a 10-game losing streak. 

And while both were fighting for their lives in the ACC, the Gators were thriving in the SEC. Florida ended 24-12 last season and went 11-7 in conference. They also made their conference championship and received an invite to the NCAA tournament, which is something neither of those two teams did. 

So, after seeing all of this, it’s no surprise to see the Gators beginning the year ahead of the pack and setting the pace for the Sunshine State.