Defending national men’s college basketball champion Florida Gators began the season ranked No. 3 in the preseason poll by sports writers affiliated with The Associated Press. They fell to 10th after the first week of the 2025-26 season, losing to Arizona. Todd Golden’s men bounced around the Top 25 in the following weeks and even went unranked in Week 9.
The loss to Auburn in Week 12 might have flipped the switch for Florida, which went on a nine-game surge, beating Top 25 programs Alabama, Kentucky, and Arkansas and climbing back to No. 5 heading into Week 18, the final week of the regular season.
Gators’ SEC Regular Season Charge Speaks Volumes in College Basketball
When the AP Top 25 poll for Week 17 was released on Monday, Florida returned to the Top 5, behind UConn, Michigan, Arizona, and No. 1-ranked Duke.
The Gators climbed from No. 7 the previous week and are coming off a pair of lopsided wins over Texas and Arkansas.
The newly released rankings placed Golden’s team back in the Top 5 since the preseason. The college basketball world praised the Gators’ efforts as the regular season winds down.
Florida posted the update on its X page and outlined what lies ahead in the final week. It ended with the statement: “Gator boys STAY HOT.”
ESPN analyst and 2008 Hall of Famer Dick Vitale also praised the defending national champions’ spectacular run, which brought them back into the championship conversation alongside Duke, Arizona, Michigan, and UConn.
“Wow how hot have the Gators of Coach Todd Golden been – think about this they have beaten 14 straight AP ranked SEC teams – last loss to a AP ranked team was… to Dan Hurley’s #5 ranked UConn Dec 9 2025… That my friends is #awesomebaby,” Vitale wrote.
ESPN SEC Network Studio Anchor Peter Burns and the network’s analyst, Chris Doering, meanwhile, examined how Florida manhandled No. 20 Arkansas 111-77 on Saturday, in what was expected to be a close fight between two of the top three SEC squads at the time.
“That was the best regular season game in 15 years for the Florida Gators,” Burns said.
Florida Gators senior writer Scott Carter summed up how the season went for Todd Golden, who is looking to duplicate what former head coach Billy Donovan did in 2006 and 2007 by winning back-to-back titles.
“Gators have won 18 of 20 since sitting at 5-4 in early December,” Carter said.
Florida’s big run has moved them to No. 4 in KenPom, TeamRankings.com, and the NET Rankings. The Gators went 7-2 on the road, 3-3 on neutral sites, and an admirable 13-1 at home, according to the NET Rankings.
Todd Golden’s team ranks No. 4 in wins against Quadrant 1 teams (10), behind Duke (11), Michigan (12), and Arizona (13). They are 13-1 against the rest.
According to KenPom, the Gators have an overall efficiency rating of +35.01, an offensive rating of 125.8, and a defensive rating of 90.8. TeamRankings.com ranks Florida fourth with a 25.0 rating, behind Arizona, Duke, and Michigan. The Gators have an 8.6% chance of winning the national championship.
The Gators aim to end the regular season on a high note, with games against Mississippi State on Tuesday and Kentucky on Saturday.
