Florida tops men's preseason AP poll with 47 first-place votes
Duke ranks second and Illinois third in the 2026-27 men's college basketball preseason poll, while Florida returns a core from its 2025 title team.
Florida topped the 2026-27 men's college basketball preseason AP Top 25 released Monday, October 19, receiving 47 of 59 first-place votes. Duke ranked second with 10 first-place votes and Illinois third with the remaining two, according to the Associated Press. The ranking puts the Gators back at No. 1 after a season that ended with an early NCAA Tournament exit.
Why Florida starts at No. 1
Florida last led the AP poll in the final ranking of 2025, after beating Houston for the school's third national championship. The Gators began last season at No. 3 but fell out of the rankings by early January. They recovered to win the Southeastern Conference regular-season title, then lost to Iowa in the second round of the NCAA Tournament despite entering as a No. 1 seed.
Coach Todd Golden said the new ranking was welcome, but wanted that level of expectation to become routine for the program. He said Florida was better prepared for early-season expectations after learning from last year's uneven start. Alex Condon said the tournament defeat remained a source of motivation for the returning group.
Thomas Haugh, Condon, Rueben Chinyelu and Denzel Aberdeen all played on Florida's championship team, the AP reported. Aberdeen has returned after a year at Kentucky and is among players granted another season of eligibility through court action. Before the poll was released, CBS Sports projected Florida at No. 1, citing four returning starters from last season's team.
Duke, Illinois and the rest of the top five
Duke's No. 2 position matches its highest preseason ranking since it started at No. 1 in 2017. Coach Jon Scheyer emphasized where the Blue Devils finish over where they begin. Illinois matched its best preseason ranking since 2001; the AP said it returns five of its top eight scorers from a team that reached the Final Four last season for the first time in two decades.
CBS Sports had projected Duke and Illinois to follow Florida in that order before the AP vote. Its preview said Illinois returned 65.4% of its scoring production from last season, tied for the highest share among Big Ten teams, and identified David Mirković and Andrej Stojaković among its key returners. UConn and Arizona completed the AP's preseason top five; Michigan State, Texas, Tennessee, Virginia and Houston filled places six through 10.
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Sources and context
- Florida is No. 1 in preseason AP Top 25 men's poll as Duke, Illini also receive first-place votesAssociated Press (republished by Yahoo Sports)
- Predicting AP Top 25 college basketball rankings: Florida edges Duke, Illinois for No. 1 in preseason pollCBS Sports
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