Florida basketball falls out of Coaches Poll top 25 to start 2026

For the first time this season, Florida basketball finds itself outside of the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll top 25.

The campaign began with high hopes as the Gators looked to defend their national title, but a brutal non-conference schedule combined with a transfer backcourt that has not lived up to its potential has the Orange and Blue reeling entering the 2026 calendar year.

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The latest bump in the road came on Saturday night against the Missouri Tigers, who used strong frontcourt play along with a healthy dose of zone defense to outlast Todd Golden’s gang, 76-74. It was the fifth loss of the season for Florida, which already exceeds its total of four during its title run.

This week, the Gators hold on to just 21 votes, which makes the de facto No. 29 team in the poll.

SEC schools in Coaches Poll top 25 after Week 9

The Southeastern Conference’s representation in the top 25 fell to just five schools this week, headlined by the Vanderbilt Commodores, who inched up a spot to No. 10. Next up are the 12th-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide, followed by the 15th-ranked Arkansas Razorbacks, 20th-ranked Georgia Bulldogs and 22nd-ranked Tennessee Volunteers.

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Missouri (3) and the Kentucky Wildcats (3) join Florida among those receiving votes outside the top 25.

USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll top 25 after Week 9

Rank

Team

Record

PTS

1st

Prev

Chg

Hi/Lo

1

Michigan

13-0

768

24

1

1/7

2

Arizona

14-0

749

7

2

2/13

3

Iowa State

14-0

703

0

3

3/18

4

UConn

14-1

666

0

4

3/7

5

Purdue

13-1

624

0

6

+1

1/6

6

Duke

13-1

616

0

5

-1

3/6

7

Houston

13-1

584

0

8

+1

2/8

8

Gonzaga

16-1

565

0

7

-1

7/20

9

BYU

13-1

527

0

10

+1

7/11

10

Vanderbilt

14-0

488

0

11

+1

10/NR

11

Nebraska

14-0

473

0

13

+2

11/NR

12

Alabama

11-3

403

0

15

+3

9/16

13

Michigan State

12-2

400

0

9

-4

8/21

14

Texas Tech

11-3

345

0

16

+2

11/20

15

Arkansas

11-3

334

0

18

+3

14/23

16

Illinois

11-3

294

0

19

+3

8/19

17

North Carolina

13-2

250

0

12

-5

12/25

18

Louisville

11-3

232

0

13

-5

5/18

19

Iowa

12-2

211

0

23

+4

19/NR

20

Georgia

13-1

164

0

24

+4

20/NR

21

Kansas

10-4

131

0

17

-4

17/NR

22

Tennessee

10-4

123

0

20

-2

13/23

23

Virginia

12-2

120

0

21

-2

21/NR

24

Villanova

12-2

70

0

NR

+15

24/NR

25

SMU

12-2

42

0

NR

25/NR

Schools…


Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/florida-basketball-falls-coaches-poll-180305594.html

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Publish date : 2026-01-05 18:03:00

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