Florida basketball is locked and loaded for a run at the NCAA Tournament and a second national title in three years. The Gators return four starters and 81.8% of their scoring from last year's squad while re-adding a key contributor in Denzel Aberdeen.

While expectations are sky-high entering the 2026-27 campaign, Todd Golden's gang fell flat in the first of two preseason matchups on Sunday, falling in overtime to Baylor, 82-76, in Jacksonville. While there were plenty of positive takeaways from the defeat, there are still a few loose ends that need to be addressed before kicking off the regular-season schedule.

Despite the disappointing exhibition results, Florida finds itself atop the preseason USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll with 732 points and 20 first-place votes. That puts the Gators seven points and 12 first-place votes ahead of second-place Duke, and 49 points and 18 first-place votes ahead of third-place Illinois.

The preseason poll includes seven SEC schools among the top 25, headlined by top-ranked Florida, followed by Texas (No. 7), Tennessee (No. 9), Arkansas (No. 13), Alabama (No. 18), Vanderbilt (No. 21) and Kentucky (No. 23). Missouri (60), Texas A&M (19) and Auburn (1) also appeared on the initial ballot.

Florida will play its second exhibition game of the preseason against the Stetson Hatters on Oct. 27 inside the O'Connell Center. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. ET and the game will be broadcast on the SEC Network+.

USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll preseason top-25 rankings

Others Receiving Votes

Nebraska 66; UCLA 64; Missouri 60; Ohio State 31; North Carolina 24; Texas A&M 19; Villanova 14; Indiana 9; Wisconsin 5; Saint Louis 4; Cincinnati 4; West Virginia 2; Creighton 2; Maryland 1; Auburn 1