Coming off a 22-win season and a 2016 NCAA Tournament berth, Florida earned recognition throughout the 2015-16 season and that respect continued into 2016-17, as the Gators were voted No. 24 in the USA Today Coaches’ Preseason Poll that was released Thursday.
While Florida has received votes in national preseason polls multiple times in the program’s history, this is just the seventh time in the top-25 at the beginning of the year since the 2001-02 season, when the team began the campaign No 12 in the USA Today ranking and No. 13 in the Associated Press poll.
Gators All-Time in the Preseason Top-25 National Rankings
1994-95: No. 14 in AP; No. 14 in USA Today
1995-96: No. 23 in USA Today
1996-97: No. 21 in AP; No. 21 in USA Today
1997-98: No. 9 in AP; No. 8 in USA Today
1998-99: No. 22 in AP; No. 20 in USA Today
2001-02: No. 13 in AP; No. 12 in USA Today
2016-17: No. 24 in USA Today (AP released Nov. 4)
Southeastern Conference with Six Teams in the Preseason Poll
No. 3 South Carolina
No. 11 Mississippi State
No. 14 Tennessee
No. 19 Kentucky
No. 23 Texas A&M
No. 24 FLORIDA
UF Opponents in the Top-25
Florida will eight games against teams ranked in the top-25.
In tournaments, the Gators could face one additional team (No. 16 Arizona State)
UF will face six other teams that are receiving votes in the top-25
All totaled, the Gators will play 14 games versus teams receiving votes in the preseason poll
When Do They Start
The Gators play South Alabama in their season-opener on November 11 at Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville
Tip-off is set for 5 p.m. ET and is the first game of a Gator Basketball doubleheader, with the UF men’s team tipping off at 7:30 p.m.
Florida will play its first 12 games on the road due to a $64.5 million renovation of the Exactech Arena at the O’Connell Center, which is slated to be completed in mid-December.
The Gator’s home opener is set for December 28 against Southeastern Louisiana.
| 2016-17 USA Today Coaches Poll – Preseason | |||
| RK | TEAM | RECORD | PTS |
| 1 | Connecticut (18) | 0-0 | 755 |
| 2 | Notre Dame (8) | 0-0 | 739 |
| 3 | South Carolina (3) | 0-0 | 712 |
| 4 | Baylor (2) | 0-0 | 709 |
| 5 | Maryland | 0-0 | 603 |
| 6 | Ohio State | 0-0 | 594 |
| 6 | Texas (1) | 0-0 | 594 |
| 8 | Louisville | 0-0 | 586 |
| 9 | UCLA | 0-0 | 481 |
| 10 | Stanford | 0-0 | 467 |
| 11 | Mississippi State | 0-0 | 446 |
| 12 | Florida State | 0-0 | 431 |
| 13 | Syracuse | 0-0 | 394 |
| 14 | Tennessee | 0-0 | 360 |
| 15 | Washington | 0-0 | 352 |
| 16 | Arizona State | 0-0 | 321 |
| 17 | Oregon State | 0-0 | 255 |
| 18 | Oklahoma | 0-0 | 235 |
| 19 | Kentucky | 0-0 | 227 |
| 20 | Miami | 0-0 | 179 |
| 21 | DePaul | 0-0 | 173 |
| 22 | Michigan State | 0-0 | 167 |
| 23 | Texas A&M | 0-0 | 123 |
| 24 | Florida | 0-0 | 101 |
| 25 | West Virginia | 0-0 | 76 |
- Others receiving votes: South Florida 65, Indiana 51, South Dakota State 38, Missouri 17, Colorado State 17, Duke 16, Auburn 14, Western Kentucky 10, Michigan 10, Creighton 10, St John’s 9, Green Bay 7, Oklahoma State 7, Northwestern 7, Penn 6, NC State 5, Georgia 5, California 4, Temple 4, BYU 3, Iowa 3, Oregon 2, Duquesne 2, Gonzaga 2, George Washington 2, Georgia Tech 1, Drake 1, Troy 1, Tulane 1
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