The preseason AP Top 25 is out, and Florida begins the 2026-27 season where every program wants to be: No. 1. The Gators received 47 of 59 first-place votes after winning the SEC regular-season title last season and returning several players from their 2025 national championship team. Duke earned 10 first-place votes at No. 2, while Illinois received the other two at No. 3.
But the poll’s most interesting stories stretch beyond the top three. Kentucky is closing in on a milestone no other program has reached, Vanderbilt is back in the preseason rankings for the first time in more than a decade, and Purdue’s long run in the poll has ended. Those details give college basketball fans plenty to debate before the season tips off.
2026 College Basketball Preseason AP Poll 🚨 pic.twitter.com/xnXoqyDBgF
— 247Sports (@247Sports) October 19, 2026
Florida has the ranking. Now comes the pressure.
Florida’s No. 1 spot comes with a reminder that preseason expectations do not guarantee a smooth season. The Gators opened last year at No. 3, fell out of the rankings during a difficult stretch and ultimately lost to Iowa in the second round of the NCAA Tournament as a No. 1 seed.
This year’s team returns a group that has experienced both the highs of a championship run and the frustration of an early tournament exit. Thomas Haugh, Alex Condon and Rueben Chinyelu are among the returning pieces, while Denzel Aberdeen is back after spending last season at Kentucky. That continuity helps explain why voters made Florida the clear favorite, even as Duke and Illinois collected first-place support…