Men’s college basketball preseason AP poll: Florida edges Duke to start year at No. 1 for the first time in decades

Florida, for the first time in two decades, is starting the season out on top.

The Gators were named the No. 1 team in the country in the Associated Press preseason Top 25 poll on Monday, just two weeks before the 2026-27 college basketball season kicks off. 

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It marks Florida’s first time atop the preseason poll since 2006, and makes the Gators the early favorite to win what would be a second national championship in three seasons. The last time they opened at No. 1 in this poll was fresh off the first of what ended up being back-to-back titles, too. 

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And, just like it was two decades ago, Florida is bringing back a significant chunk of its roster from last year’s group that earned a top seed in the NCAA tournament. Thomas Haugh, who was widely projected to be a lottery pick, opted to skip the NBA Draft and return for one more season in what was a huge get for Todd Golden. He was joined by Alex Condon and starting center Reuben Chinyelu, who was the national Defensive Player of the Year, too. But the biggest boost perhaps comes from Denzel Aberdeen. 

Aberdeen transferred in to play for Golden again this past spring from Kentucky, and earned a temporary injunction last month to be able to play a fifth season. Aberdeen was on Florida’s national title team in 2025, too, so he knows the system well. The roster, especially with Aberdeen around, is deep. 

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But Duke is in a similar spot after just barely missing out on a trip to the Final Four last spring. Caleb Foster is coming back, and Jon Scheyer landed former Wisconsin star John Blackwell in the transfer market. Cayden Boozer and Pat Ngongba are back, and Duke is bringing in star freshman Joaquim Boumtje-Boumtje and Cam Williams, who are the fourth and fifth-ranked players in their recruiting class. 

Scheyer has plenty of options to go to at any given time, though their run through the ACC won’t be anywhere near as easy as it…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/mens-college-basketball/breaking-news/article/mens-basketball-preseason-ap-poll-florida-edges-duke-to-start-year-at-no-1-for-the-first-time-in-decades-160540956.html

Author : Ryan Young

Publish date : 2026-10-19 16:05:00

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