Florida starts No. 1 with four returning starters and shooting work ahead

Florida will open the men's college basketball season at No. 1 in the Associated Press poll, with four returning starters, after an exhibition defeat showed where its offense still needs work.

The Gators received 47 of 59 first-place votes in the October 19 preseason poll. Duke was second with 10 first-place votes and Illinois third with two. It is Florida's second preseason No. 1 ranking, following the 2006-07 team that won the national championship.

The case for this team starts with familiar players. Thomas Haugh, Alex Condon, Rueben Chinyelu and point guard Boogie Fland return from last season's SEC championship team. The Independent Florida Alligator reported that Haugh averaged 17.1 points in 2025-26, Condon added 15.1 points and 7.5 rebounds, and Chinyelu produced 10.9 points and 11.2 rebounds.

Florida has experienced size and a guard who already knows how to play with that frontcourt. Getting the ball to those big men consistently remains part of the work.

Sunday's 82-76 overtime exhibition loss to Baylor exposed the immediate concerns. Florida made four of 29 three-point attempts, while Denzel Aberdeen and Urban Klavzar combined to miss all 15 of theirs. Baylor's bench outscored Florida's reserves 33-3, according to the school's follow-up report.

Todd Golden also pointed to his own play calling. Florida needed to organize its offense better to create low-post catches for Chinyelu and Condon. Making open jumpers would help, but finding those interior touches gives the Gators another way to create an advantage when shots are missing.

Aberdeen returns after spending last season at Kentucky. Klavzar shot 40.6% from three in 2025-26, giving Florida reason to expect more from its perimeter group than it showed against Baylor. The exhibition also left reserve roles unsettled, with all five starters playing at least 33 minutes.

Florida's schedule lists another exhibition against Stetson on October 27 before a November 2 opener against Miami in Tampa. Miami is No. 14 in the October 19 AP preseason poll. That opener starts a schedule with eight opponents in the preseason top 25, plus potential meetings with Houston and Kansas at the Players Era 8.