A ninth-straight win for Florida men’s basketball moved the Gators into the No. 7 spot of the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll on Monday.
Florida defeated Virginia, 87-69, on Wednesday to become one of two programs with a 9-0, securing the program’s best start since 2005. That Gators team didn’t lose its first game until late January, going 17-0 (3-0), and finished the season 33-6 (10-6) with a national championship.
The Orange and Blue have steadily climbed the Coaches Poll all year long, beginning the season at No. 21 in the preseason rankings, moving up to No. 19 (Week 1 and Week 2), then jumping to No. 16 (Week 3) and again to No. 13 a week ago. Florida now leads No. 8 Alabama by three poll points and has to make up an 80-point gap to move past the No. 6 Duke Blue Devils.
It was another dramatic week for the top 10 as No. 1 Kansas lost twice and plummeted nine spots. As the Jayhawks barely held on to a top-10 ranking, the Tennessee Volunteers moved into the No. 1 spot. The Auburn Tigers remain at No. 2 with a loss to Duke, who climbed three spots to No. 6 in the poll.
The Iowa State Cyclones moved up to No. 3 with a win over the No. 4 Marquette Golden Eagles, and the Kentucky Wildcats moved into the top five despite splitting the week with a loss to now No. 16 Clemson and a victory over No. 9 Gonzaga. Alabama moved back into the top 10 after beating North Carolina.
SEC schools in the Coaches Poll top 25
In addition to the five top-10 SEC programs mentioned…
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