Florida takes No. 1 in preseason AP Top 25 men's basketball poll

Florida is the team to catch in the Florida preseason AP Top 25: the Gators opened at No. 1 in the Associated Press men's basketball poll, receiving 47 of 59 first-place votes and 1,461 points, according to the poll results reported by CBS Sports.

Duke landed at No. 2 with 10 first-place votes and 1,411 points. Illinois was third with two first-place votes and 1,342 points. Those were the only three programs to receive a first-place vote.

Who is No. 1 in the preseason AP Top 25 men's basketball poll?

Florida is No. 1, followed by Duke and Illinois. UConn is fourth, Arizona fifth, Michigan State sixth, Texas seventh, Tennessee eighth, Virginia ninth and Houston 10th.

A preseason AP ranking reflects voting before the season begins. It does not decide NCAA Tournament seeding or guarantee postseason results.

Florida's long wait for another preseason No. 1

The Gators had not begun a season atop the preseason AP poll since 2006, CBS Sports reported. That earlier Florida team went on to win the program's second straight national championship.

This year's roster brings back four starters from Florida's 2025-26 group, according to CBS Sports: Thomas Haugh, Rueben Chinyelu, Alex Condon and Boogie Fland. That team won 27 games and earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive season.

What is the full preseason AP Top 25?

1. Florida, 1,461 points
2. Duke, 1,411
3. Illinois, 1,342
4. UConn, 1,241
5. Arizona, 1,214
6. Michigan State, 1,203
7. Texas, 1,040
8. Tennessee, 932
9. Virginia, 874
10. Houston, 829
11. Louisville, 822
12. Arkansas, 760
13. St. John's, 669
14. Miami, 650
15. Gonzaga, 637
16. Michigan, 605
17. Kansas, 504
18. Iowa State, 475
19. Texas Tech, 466
20. Alabama, 374
21. USC, 306
22. UCLA, 250
23. Kentucky, 243
24. Vanderbilt, 241
25. BYU, 179

The poll was released Oct. 19, according to an Associated Press report carried by ESPN.

This story draws on original reporting from ESPN.com.