Skip to main content
florida logo

Florida jumps Auburn in new AP Poll after SEC Tournament title

On3 imageby:Zach Abolverdi•03/17/25•

ZachAbolverdi

Florida-Gators-SEC-Tournament
The Florida Gators celebrate the win against the Tennessee Volunteers at the 2025 SEC Championship Game at Bridgestone Arena. (Steve Roberts-Imagn Images)

NASHVILLE — The Auburn Tigers still received the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament despite their recent losses, but they didn’t stay ranked ahead of Florida. For the second straight week, UF moved up one spot in the latest Associated Press poll.

The Gators is up No. 4 to No. 3 in the new AP Top 25 after winning the SEC Tournament title on Sunday in Nashville. Florida jumped the Tigers, who have lost three of their last four games — all to teams that UF beat (Texas A&M, Alabama and Tennessee).

After the Gators set an SEC Tournament with 104 points scored in their blowout victory over No. 5 Alabama in the semifinals Saturday, head coach Todd Golden said he thought his team should be higher than the fourth No. 1 seed in the Big Dance.

“Absolutely. Absolutely,” Golden said when asked if Florida should be a higher 1-seed. “When you look at the full body of work … our conference schedule is different. We had to play some really good teams on the road, and we didn’t get them at home. We were still able to get second. With all those things together, I would say we’re definitely a 1-seed and have the chance to be the second or third 1-seed right now.”

Florida is the top seed in the West Region and will play Norfolk State (16) Friday at 6:50 p.m. ET on TNT in Raleigh, N.C. If UF advances, it will face the winner of UConn (8) and Oklahoma (9) on Sunday.

AP Poll Top 25 rankings ahead of NCAA Tournament

1. Duke (+1)
2. Houston (+1)
3. Florida (+1)
4. Auburn (-1)
5. St. John’s (+1)
6. Tennessee (+2)
7. Alabama (-2)
8. Michigan State (-1)
9. Texas Tech 
10. Louisville (+3)
11. Maryland
12. Clemson (-2)
13. Wisconsin (+5)
14. Michigan (+8)
15. Iowa State (-3)
16. Memphis
17. BYU
18. Kentucky (-3)
19. Texas A&M (-5)
20. St. Mary’s (-1)
21. Arizona
22. Purdue (-2)
23. Missouri (-2)
24. Gonzaga
25. Oregon (-2)

Others receiving votes in AP Poll: Drake 107, Marquette 69, UC San Diego 57, Illinois 55, VCU 28, Creighton 28, Mississippi 13, McNeese St. 4, UConn 4, Colorado St. 4, Kansas 3, High Point 3, UCLA 3, Akron 3.

Not a member of Gators Online?

CLICK HERE to join the Gators Online community! It’s the top place for passionate Florida fans to find the best insight and news in the market. 

Boasting a talented collection of experienced journalists, we dig deep into recruiting and provide breaking news and analysis on UF sports.

SIGN UP for the Gators Online Newsletter — Receive Breaking News, In-Depth Analysis via Email!

You may also like