Florida lands at No. 2 in way-too-early college basketball rankings

The 2025-26 campaign is now in the rearview mirror with the conclusion of the NCAA Tournament on Monday, and it is now time to turn our collective attention toward the upcoming season.

Among the many in the sports media casting their early predictions for the 2026-27 edition of men’s college basketball is CBS Sports writer Gary Parrish, who released his way-too-early rankings of the top 26 teams with nearly seven months remaining until the opening tipoff.

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Parrish is among the most bullish on the Florida Gators among his peers, placing the Orange and Blue at No. 2 in his initial rankings — just behind the 2026 national champions, the Michigan Wolverines, and ahead of the third-ranked Illinois Illini.

“This ranking is based on the Gators returning five of the top seven scorers — specifically Alex Condon, Boogie Fland, Reuben Chinyelu, Urban Klavsar and Isaiah Brown — from a team that finished 27-8 and advanced to the second round of the 2026 NCAA Tournament. That core will be joined by a recruiting class highlighted by 7-foot center Jones Lay,” he offers.

Other outlets have also offered their premature prognostications, including ESPN, which has Florida ranked third; USA TODAY Sports and The Athletic both have the Gators ranked fourth in their way-too-early assessments.

Take a look below at the full 26-team rankings offered by CBS Sports.

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Men’s college basketball way-too-early rankings for 2026-27

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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Florida basketball ranked No. 2 in CBS Sports’ way-too-early rankings

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/florida-lands-no-2-way-161226974.html

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Publish date : 2026-04-09 16:12:00

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