Based on last season’s Elite Eight run, Florida is coming into the 2017-18 as a top 10 ranked team in one poll.
The Gators were ranked seventh in the initial USA Today preseason top 25 coaches basketball poll released in Thursday. Florida, which finished 27-9 last year, received one first-place vote.
The Gators return three starters and seven players overall from last season’s team. Florida senior center John Egbunu is out for the start of the season while recovering from ACL surgery. Florida coach Mike White said Wednesday that Egbunu is “on track” for a January return.
Duke is the top-ranked team in the poll, followed by No. 2 Michigan State, No. 3 Kansas, No. 4 Kentucky and No. 5 Arizona. The Gators are ranked in the top 10 in the preseason for the first time since being ranked No. 7 to start the 2014-15 season.
There are three SEC teams in the Top 25 with Alabama (No. 25) joining Florida and Kentucky. Texas A&M narrowly missed the poll, but based on votes received, is 26th. Miami is the only other in-state team in the poll, ranked No. 12. The AP poll is due out in early November.
A full list of the poll can be found here.
Florida will open the season Nov. 13 at Exactech Arena, which will tip at 7 p.m. and air on ESPNU. UF’s season game of the season on Nov. 16 at home against UNF will also tip at 7 and air on the SEC Network.
Gee, what coach would have voted Florida the best team in the country? An opinion shared by no other coach? How embarrassing to be caught so obviously trying to game the system!
Or maybe he really believes it. Let’s go with that. It’s sweet. But it means he’s deluded. And maybe that’s worse.
And you know how Coach White voted, how? Your making big assumptions!
Hey Germ,
Do you really think Coach White is the kind of guy who is going to vote for his own team or try to ‘game the system’? You’re obviously not a good judge of…much at all.
See if if you can find Mike White’s name here:
The USA TODAY Sports Board of Coaches is made up of 32 head coaches at Division I institutions. All are members of the National Association of Basketball Coaches. The board for the 2017-18 season: Randy Bennett, Saint Mary’s; Jim Boeheim, Syracuse; Tad Boyle, Colorado; Todd Bozeman, Morgan State; Glenn Braica, St. Francis Brooklyn; Scott Cherry, High Point; Tim Cluess, Iona; Jon Coffman, IP-Fort Wayne; Scott Drew, Baylor; Matt Driscoll, North Florida; Fran Dunphy, Temple; Bill Evans, Idaho State; Mark Fox, Georgia; John Gallagher, Hartford; Matthew Graves, South Alabama; Steve Hawkins, Western Michigan; Steve Henson, Texas-San Antonio; George Ivory, Arkansas-Pine Bluff; Ben Jacobson, Northern Iowa; James Jones, Yale; Greg Kampe, Oakland; Mike McConathy, Northwestern State; Greg McDermott, Creighton; Matt McMahon, Murray State; Dan Monson, Long Beach State; Chris Mooney, Richmond; Matt Painter, Purdue; Dave Pilipovich, Air Force; Brett Reed, Lehigh; Kareem Richardson, Missouri-Kansas City; Zach Spiker, Drexel; Mike Young, Wofford.
+1
Mom always taught me, think before you speak.
Just a troll doing what a troll does..
Can’t wait to watch this team play. It’ll be interesting to see what Hudson brings to the table. The stats make it look like Koulechov may end up being a better addition than Barry was to last year’s team, which is saying something. Hope to see more comments here, too. This team deserves our attention.
Couldn’t agree more. I’m excited for this season and I hope everyone really gets behind this team.
It is great but perhaps a little too high.
Congrats! Great pre-season ranking!
Just read Darius Days from the Rock School committed to LSU. Who is the coach there? So many of the kids from there go out of State.
I always thought we should be trying to attract our best academically and athletically talented kids to stay in State.
Go Gators!
Kevin, I’m a huge Gator Football & Basketball fan, and I’m presently very excited about this 2017-’18 Gator B-ball team. Fairly or unfairly, my expectations for Coach White’s team & his program’s progress is much higher than that of the Gator football team’s expectations (to date). So, in your opinion, is that fair (expectations) to the Men’s Gator Basketball team and Coach ‘W’ & his staff!?!?
And so the F.B.I. investigation into college basketball -still- bothers me, too. Especially, since the schools like, ”Arizona”, who are part of the F.B.I.’s investigation, have NOT ”disqualified any of their current players”, to date. And I -also- firmly believe that ”one and done high school kids”, and their ”scammer handlers” aren’t going anywhere soon (especially to prison). And that’s very unfair, and very unfortunate for the great sport of college basketball, and all the schools that do it all legally.
But, still, the purer ”cream will always rise to the top”!
Lastly Kevin, as an avid reader of your great pieces about U.F. college basketball, along with the other teams too, do you believe, like I do, that Auburn, ‘Bama, and South Carolina, etc… are still being ”looked at”, or “investigated by the Feds”, too?” One thing I know is that it’s a ”done deal for Louisville basketball” (with ADIDAS and their shady-handlers for high school prospects), their ”pay for play”, Pitino looking the other away, etc…) will be the final nail in the coffin for the Louisville Cardinals. But where’s the S.E.C. ”Commish’ and his knowledge and awareness with these ”other S.E.C. schools” (‘Bama, Caroina, Auburn)?
Take care!
~gatorgi70x7
Anyway, thanks again Kevin, for all your hard work and long hours, while covering our favorite basketball school… THE ORANGE and BLUE GATOR BALLERS!
Great to see the BBall team about ready to go. Hope we have a better season than last year’s & that’s a tall order. Go Gators!