College basketball rankings: Florida Gators finally grab No. 1 spot in AP Top 25 after national championship

Basketball

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Image Credit: Maddie Washburn, UAA

The Florida Gators were the best team at the end of the regular season and entering the 2025 NCAA Tournament, but it took six more victories and two consecutive wins over No. 1 seeds to the national champions to be granted top billing by voters in the AP Top 25 and Coaches Polls.

Hours after claiming the third national title in program history and first since 2007, Florida took its rightful spot as No. 1 in the college basketball rankings on Tuesday. It marked the first time the Gators had been ranked as high since 2014 when the Gators entered that NCAA Tournament as 32-2 and the No. 1 overall seed.

Florida, which was a No. 1 seed for the third time in program history, now boasts a 16-1 all-time record from that position in March Madness, advancing to the Final Four on all three occasions (2007, 2014, 2025) and winning the national championship twice (2007, 2025). The Gators have now competed in six Final Fours (1994, 2000, 2006-07, 2014, 2025) and four national title games (2000, 2006-07, 2025) with a 3-1 record when competing for the crown.

Florida ended the 2024-25 season with a 12-2 against opponents ranked in the AP Top 25 at the time of game tip-offs. Based on the final rankings, it went 9-1 against the top 10 with wins over Houston, Auburn (twice), Alabama (twice), Texas Tech and Maryland. Its lone loss came to Tennessee, which it similarly beat twice. Yes, UF beat the three next-best SEC teams — in the nation’s toughest conference, which many considered the most difficult of all time — two times each.

The Gators similarly ended the season 12-2 against teams in the final AP Top 25.

Let’s take a look at the final rankings.

AP Top 25 — April 8

1. Florida (61)
2. Houston [W 65-63]
3. Duke
4. Auburn — [W 90-81, W 79-73]
5. Tennessee — [W 73-43, L 44-64, W 86-77]
6. Alabama — [W 99-94, W 104-82]
7. Michigan State
8. Texas Tech — [W 84-79]
9. Maryland — [W 87-71]
10. Michigan
11. St. John’s
12. Kentucky — [L 100-106]
13. BYU
14. Purdue
15. Arizona
16. Wisconsin
17. Iowa State
18. Ole Miss — [W 90-71]
19. Texas A&M — [W 89-70]
20. Arkansas — [W 71-63]
21. Louisville
22. Clemson
23. Gonzaga
24. Saint Mary’s
25. Memphis