Gators hoops climbs into AP Poll top 10 after 9-0 start

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Dec 4, 2024; Gainesville, Florida, USA; Florida Gators forward Thomas Haugh (10) drives to the basket past Virginia Cavaliers forward Blake Buchanan (0) during the second half at Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

Although the jump isn’t as big as the one in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll, Florida basketball climbed to No. 9 in the AP Top 25 Poll following a win over Virginia to improve to 9-0 on the season.

The Gators defeated the Cavaliers in convincing fashion, 87-69, on Wednesday to secure the top-10 ranking. The matchup was part of a dominant performance from the Southeastern Conference in the SEC-ACC Challenge. SEC teams won 14 of 16 contests, 11 by double digits and five by 20-plus points.

Similar to the Coaches Poll, Tennessee, Auburn and Iowa State control the top three spots in this week’s rankings, but Duke and Kentucky round out the top five instead of just Kentucky making the cut. The Golden Eagles are No. 6, however, with Alabama, Gonzaga, Florida and Kansas making up the rest of the top 10.

SEC Teams ranked inside the AP Top 25

Nine programs from the Southeastern Conference finished inside the top 25 following Week 5, up from eight a week ago. Besides the five top-10 programs mentioned above, The Oklahoma Sooners (No. 13), Texas A&M Aggies (No. 17), Ole Miss Rebels (No. 19) and Mississippi State Bulldogs (No. 25) made the cut.

The Missouri Tigers are just outside of the top 25 with 119 poll points, making them the de facto No. 29 team in the country, followed by the Arkansas Razorbacks (89, No. 31), Georgia Bulldogs (21, No. 43) and Texas Longhorns (8, No. 45).

Week 5 AP Top 25 Poll

Rank

Team

REC

PTS (1st)

TREND

1

Tennessee

8-0

1,544 (58)

+2

2

Auburn

8-1

1,438 (3)

–

3

Iowa State

7-1

1,424…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/gators-hoops-climbs-ap-poll-195109028.html

Author : Gators Wire

Publish date : 2024-12-09 19:51:00

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