Florida Gators crack top five of AP poll for first time since 2017-18
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The Florida Gators cracked the top five on Monday in the latest Associated Press Poll for the first time since the 2017-2018 season. UF moved up three spots to No. 5 in the AP Top 25 after wins over Arkansas and No. 1 Tennessee, which dropped to sixth.
It marks Florida’s first top-five ranking in the AP poll in seven seasons. UF was ranked fifth in Dec. 2017 after a double overtime win over No. 17 Gonzaga in the Phil Knight Invitational and an 87-84 loss to No. 1 Duke in the championship game.
Florida also jumped to No. 4 in the new USA Today Coaches Poll. That ranking by the coaches marks the highest for the Gators in either national poll since closing the 2013-14 regular season at No. 1 in both polls.
“I think people are starting to appreciate what this team has been able to do,” UF coach Todd Golden said. “And we always talk about it all the time, it is very hard to be good. It’s hard to be good. It’s not simple, and the better you get, the harder it is. And, you know, so we’re fighting against human nature. We’re fighting against handling success and making sure that we approach our practices and our prep the same way we did before we received these type of rankings. Our talent in our locker room is really good.”
“We have really good talent, but I think the thing that makes the team special is our team talent, the way we play together when we’re on the floor. And if we can continue to harness that and take pride in that, we will be in good shape. But the moment we start worrying about individual things, you know, accolades, or who’s getting the credit, like, we’re just going to be a good team. And so those are the things that we’re constantly talking about and making sure that we don’t allow affect us negatively.”
No. 5 Florida (15-1, 2-1 SEC) returns to Gainesville for a pair of home dates this week, hosting Missouri at 9 p.m. on Tuesday and Texas at 4 p.m. on Saturday.
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Here’s the latest AP poll.
AP Poll Top 25 after Week 10
1. Auburn (+1)
2. Iowa State (+1)
3. Duke (+1)
4. Alabama (+1)
5. Florida (+3)
6. Tennessee (-5)
7. Marquette
8. Kentucky (-2)
9. Kansas (+2)
10. Houston (+2)
11. Texas A&M (-1)
12. Michigan State (+4)
13. Oregon (+2)
14. UConn (-5)
15. Mississippi State (-1)
16. Gonzaga (+2)
17. Purdue (+3)
18. Memphis (+1)
19. Illinois (-6)
20. Michigan (+4)
21. Ole Miss (+2)
22. Utah State (+3)
23. Georgia
24. Wisconsin
25. Baylor
Others receiving votes in AP Poll: St. John’s 83, Oklahoma 63, West Virginia 61, Arizona 26, Louisville 17, Texas Tech 12, Maryland 11, Clemson 8, Missouri 8, Cincinnati 4, San Diego St. 4, Saint Mary’s 3, UC Irvine 2, New Mexico 2.
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