Gators basketball in top 10 of preseason polls
The preseason Associated Press Top 25 Poll was released Friday and, like the USA TODAY/ESPN Top 25 Coaches Poll announced last Thursday, has the North Carolina Tar Heels slotted as the overwhelming No. 1 team in the country with 62 of 65 first-place votes. North Carolina, which received 30 of 31 first-place votes in the USA TODAY/ESPN poll and returns all five starters from 2010, is one spot ahead of the Kentucky Wildcats.
Four Southeastern Conference teams made the respective polls including Kentucky [No. 2-USA, No. 2-AP], Vanderbilt [No. 7, No. 7], the Florida Gators [No. 10, No. 8] and Alabama [No. 17, No. 19].
The 2010-11 Gators were ranked No. 11 and No. 13 heading into last season, which saw them win the SEC and end the year with a record of 29-8 (13-3 SEC) that included an appearance in the Elite Eight round of the 2011 NCAA Tournament.
| Week | Gator Bait | Record | USA Today | AP Top 25 | NCAA RPI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Preseason | - | - | No. 10 (422) | No. 10 (1,007) | - |
| 2 | W 84-35 vs. Alabama State | 1-0 | No. 10 (465) | No. 10 (1,007) | - |
| 3 | W 74-56 vs. Wisconsin W 66-45 vs. Middle Tennessee | 3-0 | No. 8 (541) | No. 7 (1,203) | - |
| 4 | W 58-40 vs. Savannah State W 79-66 vs. Central Florida | 5-0 | No. 7 (573) | No. 7 (1,227) | - |
| 5 | W 82-49 vs. Marquette | 6-0 | No. 5 (629) | No. 6 (1,324) | - |
| 6 | W 72-47 at Florida State | 7-0 | No. 5 (644) | No. 5 (1,319) | - |
| 7 | L 64-65 at Arizona (#8) | 7-1 | No. 9 (532) | No. 8 (1,163) | - |
| 8 | W 82-43 vs. Southeastern Louisiana L 61-67 vs. Kansas State (Kansas City) | 8-2 | No. 11 (406) | No. 14 (772) | - |
| 9 | W 78-61 vs. Air Force (Sunrise) | 9-2 | No. 9 (451) | No. 13 (810) | - |
| 10 | W 79-58 at Yale | 10-2 | No. 9 (496) | No. 11 (922) | 10 |
| 11 | W 77-44 vs. Georgia W 72-54 at LSU | 12-2 (2-0 SEC) | No. 9 (526) | No. 10 (1,019) | 9 |
| 12 | W 68-47 at Texas A&M W 83-52 vs. Missouri (#16/17) | 14-2 (4-0 SEC) | No. 7 (588) | No. 8 (1,181) | 6 |
| 13 | W 64-47 at Georgia W 82-47 at Mississippi State | 16-2 (6-0 SEC) | No. 4 (685) | No. 4 (1,420) | 5 |
| 14 | W 75-36 vs. South Carolina W 78-64 vs. Ole Miss (#16) | 18-2 (8-0 SEC) | No. 2 (742) | No. 2 (1,536) | 3 |
| 15 | L 69-80 at Arkansas W 83-58 vs. Mississippi State | 19-3 (9-1 SEC) | No. 6 (628) | No. 7 (1,286) | 4 |
| 16 | W 69-52 vs. Kentucky (#25) W 83-52 at Auburn | 21-3 (11-1 SEC) | No. 4 (685) | No. 5 (1,387) | 4 |
| 17 | L 60-63 at Missouri W 71-54 vs. Arkansas | 22-4 (12-2 SEC) | No. 6 (596) | No. 8 (1,164) | 4 |
| 18 | L 58-64 at Tennessee W 64-52 vs. Alabama | 23-5 (13-3 SEC) | No. 9 (522) | No. 11 (993) | 6 |
| 19< | W 66-40 vs. Vanderbilt L 57-61 at Kentucky | 24-6 (14-4 SEC) | No. 11 (472) | No. 13 (838) | 6 |
| 20 | W 80-58 vs. LSU W 61-51 vs. Alabama L 63-66 vs. Ole Miss | 26-7 (14-4 SEC) | No. 12 (420) | No. 14 (768) | 7 |
USA TODAY/ESPN COACHES POLL
Preseason 1-5: UNC (30), Kentucky (1), Ohio State, UConn, Syracuse
6-10: Duke, Vanderbilt, Louisville, Memphis, Florida
11-15: Pittsburgh, Baylor, Kansas, Wisconsin, Xavier
16-20: Arizona, Alabama, Michigan, Texas A&M, UCLA
21-25: Marquette, Cincinnati, Gonzaga, California, Missouri
ASSOCIATED PRESS TOP 25 POLL
Preseason 1-5: UNC (62), Kentucky, Ohio State (1), UConn (2), Syracuse
6-10: Duke, Vanderbilt, Florida, Louisville, Pittsburgh
11-15: Memphis, Baylor, Kansas, Xavier, Wisconsin
16-20: Arizona, UCLA, Michigan, Alabama, Texas A&M
21-25: Cincinnati, Marquette, Gonzaga, California, Missouri
*Numbers in parenthesis represent first-place votes.
I kind of feel good about playing OSU so early in the season. Not only will it be a great test, but they are a much younger team. Hopefully our experience will push their youthful talent on the road. Later in the season they will be far more formidable.