Florida opens No. 1 in Jon Rothstein’s preseason rankings

Florida basketball continues to pile up preseason praise.

College basketball insider Jon Rothstein placed the Gators at No. 1 in his preseason Rothstein 45 rankings for the 2026-27 season, ahead of Duke, Illinois, UConn and Michigan State.

Florida’s projected starting five features Boogie Fland and Denzel Aberdeen in the backcourt, with Thomas Haugh, Alex Condon and Rueben Chinyelu completing one of the country's most experienced frontcourts.

Rothstein also lists Alex Lloyd, Urban Klavzar, CJ Ingram, Viktor Mikic, AJ Brown, Jones Lay, Isaiah Brown, Arturas Butajevas and Domen Petrovic as projected bench pieces. Aberdeen, Lay, Butajevas and Petrovic are among the key newcomers, while Xaivian Lee and Micah Handlogten are listed as Florida’s biggest departures.

Duke follows the Gators at No. 2, with Illinois at No. 3, and UConn and Michigan State round out the top five. Arizona, Virginia, Texas, Kansas and Michigan complete the top 10.

Florida is also the highest-ranked SEC team in Rothstein’s poll by a decent margin. Texas ranks next at No. 8, while Tennessee sits at No. 13.

The ranking aligns with broader preseason expectations for Todd Golden’s roster. Florida is also No. 1 in the preseason AP Top 25, and several major outlets have ranked it among the top national championship contenders.