Florida basketball is off to a fantastic start to the 2021-22 season. The Gators are 6-0, snapped their seven-game losing streak against rival Florida State and took down the Ohio State Buckeyes on a buzzer-beater to win the Fort Myers Tip-Off on Wednesday night.
After a hot start for a team that didn’t begin the year with high expectations, UF is quickly rising in the polls. In the latest update to the USA TODAY Sports Ferris Mowers Coaches Poll, the Gators saw a 12-spot rise from No. 24 all the way up to No. 12. This is the highest Florida has been ranked in the Coaches Poll since the preseason poll to begin the 2019-20 season, in which it ranked No. 6.
The Gators are now the third-highest ranked team in the SEC, behind No. 9 Arkansas and No. 10 Kentucky. UF ranks ahead of No. 15 Tennessee, No. 16 Alabama (who fell seven spots after a loss to Rick Pitino’s Iona team), and No. 21 Auburn. LSU isn’t ranked, but it was the third-highest vote recipient of teams outside the top 25.
Florida coach Mike White is off to perhaps his best start with the Gators, and though the next game is a difficult one on the road against Oklahoma, this team could enter conference play with a lot of momentum (and potentially, an undefeated record).
Here’s the full top 25 in the Coaches Poll this week.
| Rank | Team | Record | Points | Change |
| 1 | Duke | 7-0 | 761 (16) | +5 |
| 2 | Purdue | 6-0 | 742 (10) | +2 |
| 3 | Gonzaga | 6-1 | 706 | -2 |
| 4 | Baylor | 7-0 | 693 (2) | +1 |
| 5 | UCLA | 6-1 | 627 | -3 |
| 6 | Villanova | 4-2 | 563 | +1 |
| 7 | Kansas | 5-1 | 524 | -4 |
| 8 | Texas | 4-1 | 500 | – |
| 9 | Arkansas | 6-0 | 473 | +3 |
| 10 | Kentucky | 5-1 | 436 | +3 |
| 11 | Arizona | 6-0 | 431 | +8 |
| 12 | Florida | 6-0 | 425 | +12 |
| 13 | BYU | 6-0 | 399 | +5 |
| 14 | Houston | 5-1 | 321 | -3 |
| 15 | Tennessee | 4-1 | 304 | +2 |
| 16 | Alabama | 6-1 | 231 | -7 |
| 17 | Connecticut | 6-1 | 222 | +4 |
| 18 | USC | 6-0 | 205 | +7 |
| 19 | Memphis | 5-1 | 184 | -9 |
| 20 | Auburn | 5-1 | 145 | +2 |
| 21 | Wisconsin | 5-1 | 140 | – |
| 22 | Michigan State | 5-2 | 138 | +7 |
| 23 | Iowa State | 6-0 | 134 | – |
| 24 | Michigan | 4-2 | 123 | -11 |
| 25 | St. Bonaventure | 5-1 | 96 | -9 |
Schools Dropped Out
No. 15 Illinois; No. 20 Seton Hall; No. 23 Oregon.
Others Receiving Votes
Seton Hall 86; Texas Tech 68; Louisiana State 66; Illinois 65; Ohio St. 43; Marquette 42; Colorado St. 38; Indiana 29; Iowa 28; Xavier 25; Florida State 22; Utah St. 13; Providence 11; West Virginia 5; San Francisco 5; Saint Louis 3; Oklahoma State 3.
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