Florida tops preseason AP men's basketball poll ahead of Duke and Illinois
Florida received 47 first-place votes to open the 2026-27 season as the AP No. 1 team, with Duke and Illinois following at No. 2 and No. 3.
Florida was voted the preseason No. 1 team in the AP Top 25 men’s basketball poll on Monday, earning 47 of 59 possible first-place votes. The Gators return four starters from a squad that posted a 27-win season and secured a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament for the second straight year. The poll also placed Duke at No. 2 and Illinois at No. 3, while UConn debuted at No. 4.
"The Gators were widely expected to begin the season No. 1 after a key offseason of retention," the poll summary noted.
Duke’s ranking reflects the return of four players from last season’s No. 1 overall seed, along with a highly rated recruiting class that includes projected No. 1 overall pick Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje and transfer John Blackwell, who earned preseason second-team All-American honors from CBS Sports.
Illinois, ranked third, features preseason first-team All-American forward David Mirković and aims to build on its first Final Four appearance since 2005.
Only three programs received first-place votes in the poll: Florida (47), Duke (10) and Illinois (2). Florida’s opening game will be against in-state rival Miami, ranked No. 14, in Tampa.
Other notable rankings include Arizona at No. 6, Michigan State at No. 7 and Texas at No. 8. Michigan, the defending national champion, opened at No. 16 after significant roster turnover and the loss of head coach Dusty May.