Florida basketball falls in first AP Top 25 update of 2025-26
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Losing the first game of the season has consequences, and Florida men’s basketball is down seven spots in the AP Top 25 rankings ahead of Week 2 as a result of losing to Arizona.
The Gators are still respected as a top-10 program — the Coaches Poll voters have them in the exact same spot — but the questions in the backcourt have experts less bullish on the Orange and Blue. Winning a national championship raises expectations, but Todd Golden isn’t too worried about his team’s slow start.
The offense can still score 90 points a game, even against other top-10 teams, and the defense looked a lot better against North Florida, albeit against a much weaker opponent. The two new additions to the starting lineup, Boogie Fland and Xaivian Lee, haven’t quite found their footing in Gainesville, but they’re expected to shoot much better than 5-for-24 from 3-point range over the first week.
Thomas Haugh has superstar potential, and Alex Condon is two rebounds shy of averaging a double-double. The surprise of the season has been Micah Handlogten off the bench. Known as a tenacious rebounder, he’s added a scoring touch with 28 points and 25 boards so far this year.
SEC teams inside the AP Top 25 after Week 1
The Alabama Crimson Tide and Kentucky Wildcats control the Nos. 8 and 9, respectively, putting them just ahead of Florida.
The No. 20 Tennessee Volunteers, No. 21 Arkansas Razorbacks and No. 22 Auburn Tigers give the SEC another stacked trio of teams inside the top 25.
The Vanderbilt Commodores (37), Missouri Tigers (4), Ole Miss Rebels (4), Georgia Bulldogs (2) and Texas Longhorns (1) all received votes in this week’s poll. For reference, the No. 25 Kansas Jayhawks have 130 poll points this week.
AP Top 25 Men’s Basketball rankings after Week 1
| Rank | Team | Trend | Points (1st) | Next Game | Next Opponent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Houston (2-0) | +1 | 1462 )18) | Wed, Nov 12 @ 8:00 pm | vs. Oakland |
| 2 | Purdue( (2-0) | -1 | 1459 (36) | Thu, Nov 13 @ 7:00 pm | @ Alabama |
| 3 | UConn (2-0) | +1 | 1361 (3) | Mon, Nov 10 @ 6:30 pm | vs. Columbia |
| 4 | Duke (2-0) | +2 | 1223 (2) | Tue, Nov 11 @ 7:00 pm | @ Army |
| 5 | Arizona (2-0) | +8 | 1204 | Tue, Nov 11 @ 9:00 pm | vs. N. Arizona |
| 6 | Michigan (1-0) | +1 | 1121 (1) | Tue, Nov 11 @ 6:30 pm | vs. Wake Forest |
| 7 | BYU (2-0) | +1 | 1111 | Tue, Nov 11 @ 9:00 pm | vs. Delaware |
| 8 | Alabama (2-0) | +7 | 1087 (1) | Thu, Nov 13 @ 7:00 pm | vs. Purdue |
| 9 | Kentucky (2-0) | — | 1072 | Tue, Nov 11 @ 8:00 pm | @ Louisville |
| 10 | Florida (1-1) | -7 | 990 | Tue, Nov 11 @ 7:00 pm | vs. Florida St. |
| 11 | Texas Tech (2-0) | -1 | 969 | Tue, Nov 11 @ 8:30 pm | @ Illinois |
| 12 | Louisville (2-0) | -1 | 856 | Tue, Nov 11 @ 8:00 pm | vs. Kentucky |
| 13 | St. John’s (1-1) | -8 | 812 | Sat, Nov 15 @ 6:00 pm | vs. William & Mary |
| 14 | Illinois (2-0) | -3 | 610 | Tue, Nov 11 @ 8:30 pm | vs. Texas Tech |
| 15 | UCLA (2-0) | +3 | 609 | Mon, Nov 10 @ 10:00 pm | vs. W. Georgia |
| 16 | Iowa St. (2-0) | — | 605 | Mon, Nov 10 @ 8:00 pm | vs. Miss. St. |
| 17 | Michigan St. (2-0) | +5 | 557 | Thu, Nov 13 @ 6:30 pm | vs. San Jose St. |
| 18 | N. Carolina (2-0) | +7 | 494 | Tue, Nov 11 @ 7:00 pm | vs. Radford |
| 19 | Gonzaga (2-0) | +2 | 466 | Tue, Nov 11 @ 10:00 pm | vs. Creighton |
| 20 | Tennessee (2-0) | -2 | 456 | Wed, Nov 12 @ 7:00 pm | vs. North Florida |
| 21 | Arkansas (1-1) | -7 | 324 | Tue, Nov 11 @ 8:00 pm | vs. Cent. Arkansas |
| 22 | Auburn (2-0) | -2 | 207 | Tue, Nov 11 @ 8:00 pm | vs. Wofford |
| 23 | Creighton (1-0) | — | 153 | Tue, Nov 11 @ 10:00 pm | @ Gonzaga |
| 24 | Wisconsin (2-0) | — | 140 | Tue, Nov 11 @ 8:30 pm | vs. Ball St. |
| 25 | Kansas (1-1) | -6 | 130 | Tue, Nov 11 @ 8:00 pm | vs. TX A&M-CC |
Others receiving votes:
NC State 87, San Diego St. 67, Indiana 45, Oregon 43, Vanderbilt 37, Ohio St. 17, Baylor 14, Southern Cal 12, Kansas St 5, Missouri 4, Mississippi 4, Mississippi St. 3, Georgia 2, Stanford 1, Oklahoma St. 1, Texas 1, Georgetown 1, Utah St. 1, Iowa 1, Virginia Tech 1.
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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Florida Gators men’s basketball AP Top 25 rankings after Week 1
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