Florida cracks ESPN BPI Top 10 after 3-1 start in SEC play

Four games into SEC play, the Florida Gators (12-5, 3-1) moved up to No. 9 on the ESPN College Basketball Power Index.

Ranked No. 13 following non-conference play, Florida has steadily climbed in the rankings. Despite dropping the conference opener against Missouri, Florida has strung together three straight victories against Georgia, Tennessee and Oklahoma, winning by an average margin of 18.7 points.

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The Gators have a 20.0 overall BPI, up 1.3 from 18.7 at the conclusion of non-conference play. The offense jumped to 9.4 (17th) from 8.7 (20th), and the defense is up to 10.5 (9th) from 9.9 (13th). ESPN projects Florida to go 22.1-8.9 overall and 13.1-4.9 in conference play, nearly a full game increase (0.9) from the last update.

“The College Basketball Power Index (BPI) is a measure of team strength that is meant to be the best predictor of performance going forward,” ESPN explains. “BPI represents how many points above or below average a team is. Strength of Record (SOR) is a measure of team accomplishment based on how difficult a team’s W-L record is to achieve. Game predictions account for opponent strength, pace of play, site, travel distance, day’s rest and altitude, and are used to simulate the season 10,000 times to produce season projections.”

Florida remains the favorite to win the SEC, with 59.4% odds — up considerably from 33.8% as conference play began. Vanderbilt’s loss to Texas on Wednesday played a large role in that change, but the Commodores still hold the second-best odds to win the SEC at 30.2%. The Tennessee Volunteers (11.3%) and Alabama Crimson Tide (10.4%) are the only other two SEC teams with a 10% chance or better to win the conference.

Florida’s remaining strength of schedule is now 19th in the country, down from 12th before a string of four straight Quadrant 1 matchups. The Gators have a 4-4 record against quality opponents and the 7th-strongest schedule in the country.

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/florida-cracks-espn-bpi-top-200244880.html

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Publish date : 2026-01-15 20:02:00

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