47 of 59 First-Place Votes Put Florida No. 1 in the Preseason AP Top 25

Photo: Florida Gators. Thomas Haugh, Florida forward.

Florida opened the 2026-27 season No. 1 in the AP Top 25 on Monday with 47 of 59 first-place votes and 1,461 points. Duke sits second with 10 first-place votes, Illinois third with two, and the teams still waiting on courtrooms to settle their rosters landed in the teens.

The Florida math

Fifty-nine voters means a perfect score is 1,475 points. Florida finished 14 short. The 12 ballots that did not put the Gators first shed 14 points between them, so no voter had Florida lower than fourth, by The Dyme's math. Last year's preseason No. 1, Purdue, drew 35 first-place votes in a field where Houston, Florida and UConn all got some.

Florida returns four starters. Thomas Haugh, Alex Condon, Rueben Chinyelu and Boogie Fland all started for a team that won 27 games and earned a No. 1 seed for the second straight March. It is Florida's first preseason No. 1 since the 2006-07 group with Al Horford, Joakim Noah and Corey Brewer, which went on to win a second straight title.

Florida has one court case of its own. Denzel Aberdeen, back after a year at Kentucky, got another season through the courts, per the AP. None of the four returning starters hangs on a ruling.

Florida opened last season at No. 3, fell out of the poll by early January, won the SEC regular season anyway, then lost to Iowa in the second round as a No. 1 seed. Todd Golden said this group is "more prepared this year for early-season expectations." Florida opens the season against No. 14 Miami in Tampa.

Kansas, Texas Tech and Gonzaga

Kansas came in at No. 17 with 504 points. The Jayhawks signed Trey Kaufman-Renn hours before the poll dropped, and he joins Tre White and Melvin Council Jr. as players whose extra seasons came through court orders. Texas Tech, at No. 19, carries three of its own in eligibility limbo: Donovan Atwell, Darrion Williams and Jamichael Stillwell.

Gonzaga shows how far apart voters were on the same question. The Zags opened No. 15, but seven voters had them in the top 10, one as high as seventh, while 11 had them between 20th and 25th and one left them off. As of Monday, transfers Javon Bennett and Xaivian Lee are cleared, Chauncey Wiggins is not, and Izan Almansa is waiting on an international waiver.

The champs at 16, and Carolina on the outside

Michigan won the national title last season and opens at No. 16. Four starters left, Dusty May left, and five-star guard Brandon McCoy Jr. tore his ACL over the summer. Elliot Cadeau is the only returning starter. A fifth year for Roddy Gayle Jr. would change the look.

North Carolina is unranked in the preseason for the first time since 2005-06. The Tar Heels got 20 points. Michael Malone's first team has 11 new players and lost an exhibition to Indiana by 18 on Sunday after beating No. 21 USC by 18 earlier this month. Duke, Gonzaga, Kansas and Kentucky have each now opened in the preseason poll 17 straight years, per The Spokesman-Review.

Duke and Illinois

Duke matched its best preseason spot since it opened No. 1 in 2017. The Blue Devils won 70 games over the last two seasons, a school record for a two-year stretch, and lost to UConn in the Elite Eight and Houston in the Final Four. Dame Sarr, Cayden Boozer and Patrick Ngongba II lead the returning group, with a top recruiting class and Wisconsin transfer John Blackwell added around them.

Illinois matched its best preseason ranking since 2001 and brings back five of its top eight scorers, led by David Mirković and Andrej Stojakovic, from its first Final Four team in two decades.

Photo: Maddie Washburn via Florida Gators. Thomas Haugh, Alex Condon, Boogie Fland and Rueben Chinyelu, Florida, 2025-26 season.

Sources

• ESPN / Associated Press: Florida an overwhelming No. 1 in preseason AP Top 25 men's basketball poll. Oct. 19, 2026. 47 of 59 first-place votes, Duke 10, Illinois 2, full Top 25, Golden quote, Florida's No. 3 start and Iowa loss, Duke 70 wins and best preseason since 2017, Illinois best since 2001.
• AP News: AP Top 25 college basketball poll. Oct. 19, 2026. Point totals.
• CBS Sports: Florida earns No. 1 spot in preseason AP Top 25 poll ahead of Duke, Illinois. Oct. 19, 2026. Point totals, others receiving votes, four returning starters, 27 wins, first preseason No. 1 since 2006, Purdue's 35 first-place votes last year, Kansas and Texas Tech eligibility players, Michigan turnover, Miami opener.
• The Spokesman-Review: Gonzaga debuts at No. 15 in preseason Associated Press poll. Oct. 19, 2026. Gonzaga ballot spread, eligibility status, 17-year streaks for Duke, Gonzaga, Kansas and Kentucky.
• Chapelboro: UNC men's basketball unranked in 2026-27 preseason AP poll. Oct. 19, 2026. 20 points, USC and Indiana exhibitions.
• ClutchPoints: Preseason AP Top 25 poll shows Michael Malone has a lot of work to do. Oct. 19, 2026. 11 new players, first unranked preseason since 2005-06.
• Perfect-score and ballot math (59 voters x 25 points = 1,475) is a Dyme calculation from the AP point totals.