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The Florida men’s basketball team moved from up a spot to No. 2, its highest ranking in the coach Todd Golden era, in The Associated Press poll released Monday.
After beating Mississippi State in Starkville without two starters and destroying South Carolina at home, the Gators (22-3, 9-3 SEC) have cemented themselves as a projected No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament in the selection committee’s Top 16 reveal Saturday.
With Micah Handlogten returning and Alex Condon projected to come back in the next week or two, the pieces are coming together. The only thing stopping the Gators from their third national championship is themselves.
Notable Poll Movement
- Alabama dropped from No. 2 to No. 4 after losing at home to No. 1 Auburn 94-85
- Texas A&M moved up from No. 8 to No. 7 after halting a hot Arkansas team in Fayetteville 69-61.
- Missouri continues to impress after an 87-74 win over Georgia, moving up from No. 21 to No. 15.
- Ole Miss is now No. 24, moving five spots up after an upset loss to No. 21 Mississippi State at home.
The Gators will face Texas A&M and Ole Miss at home and Alabama away in their final three games. Three ranked opponents in a row — nothing new for an SEC school.
BREAKING: College Basketball AP Poll🚨https://t.co/YoTf2DAhfI pic.twitter.com/s57s93rMf6
— On3 (@On3sports) February 17, 2025
An “Easy” Stretch
While no SEC game is a free win, the Gators have three unranked games before their difficult final stretch. They face three unranked teams at the bottom of the SEC, starting with Oklahoma (16-9, 3-9) at home Tuesday at 7 p.m. (ESPN2, 103.7-FM).
Then Florida will face LSU (13-12, 2-10) in Baton Rouge and Georgia (16-10, 4-9) in Athens. The Gators will be heavily favored in all of these games. If Florida drops any one of these three, its dreams of an SEC regular-season championship will certainly be killed.
