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Florida Ranked First in Preseason AP College Basketball Poll

Florida leads the Associated Press preseason men's college basketball poll ahead of Duke and Illinois for the 2026-27 season.

FTMQ Sports, written by our newsroom0 views

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Picture: Yahoo College Basketball

Florida has earned the top spot in the Associated Press preseason men's college basketball rankings for the 2026-27 season. The New York Times, On3, and Yahoo Sports Top all reported on the release of the poll on October 19, 2026. [3][4][7]

Florida earned 47 out of 59 first-place votes in the poll, according to Yahoo Sports Top. Duke entered the rankings at number two, while Illinois placed third. [3][7]

Yahoo College Basketball reported that the number three ranking is the highest preseason position for Illinois since 2001. Head coach Brad Underwood leads the Fighting Illini following a Final Four appearance in which the team lost to UConn. Illinois is ranked one position ahead of UConn in the preseason standings. [1]

The AP poll joins the Preseason Coaches Poll in establishing national rankings ahead of the upcoming college basketball campaign, according to reports by Yahoo Sports. [2][5][6]

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In short

  • Florida is ranked No. 1 in the AP preseason men's basketball poll with 47 of 59 first-place votes.
  • Duke and Illinois are ranked No. 2 and No. 3 respectively.
  • Illinois achieved its highest AP preseason ranking since 2001.

Sources

Every paragraph above points to the numbered items it rests on. Read the originals here.

  1. [1]Illinois Earns Highest Preseason AP Poll Ranking Since 2001Yahoo College Basketball, 2h ago (the report this story comes from)
  2. [2]Men's college basketball rankings: Preseason Coaches Poll top 25 for SECYahoo Sports, 9h ago
  3. [3]Preseason AP men’s basketball Top 25: Florida opens at No. 1, with Duke and Illinois nextThe New York Times, 8h ago
  4. [4]College Basketball Rankings: Preseason AP Poll releases ahead of 2026-27 seasonOn3, 9h ago
  5. [5]Men's college basketball rankings: Preseason Coaches Poll top 25 for Big TenYahoo Sports, 9h ago
  6. [6]Men's college basketball rankings: Preseason Coaches Poll top 25 for Big TenYahoo Sports, 9h ago
  7. [7]Florida And Duke Top AP Preseason Men’s College Basketball Top 25 PollYahoo Sports Top, 5h ago

Background

  1. [8]2025–26 NCAA Division I women's basketball rankings on Wikipedia
  2. [9]Historical rankings of presidents of the United States on Wikipedia

Our newsroom writes these reports with the help of software, from the 9 sources listed and nothing else, and checks them against those sources. Facts can still be wrong or move on; the originals are the record. Spotted a mistake? Write to daniel@monsterkong.com.

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