NCAA Basketball: Auburn, Gonzaga, Ohio State rise in latest top 25 power rankings

19. Florida (2-0)

Prospects are high for the Gators in the year ahead, at least unless recent news undermines this season. We won’t talk about the recent Todd Golden events, but this team has talent and can do major damage in the SEC in the upcoming months, especially with Walter Clayton Jr. and a few other pieces back. The big question is if they’ll get enough out of their defense to make that type of run after a rough performance in the NCAA Tournament last year.

Although they trailed at the half, the Gators fought back in Jacksonville and secured a 98-83 win over South Florida in the season opener. Clayton had 29 points while Will Richard added 25 points and 6 rebounds in a solid performance. Their next outing went just as well, with the Gators winning 81-60 against Jacksonville on Thursday night. Alex Condon had 23 points as Florida shot 53% from the floor.

There’s still a lot that we don’t know about these Gators and the coming weeks will tell us a lot. There’s a few missing pieces this season, and this team will need more form new pieces like Alijah Martin, but there’s potential for this to be another special season, especially on offense. A winnable road test awaits against rival Florida State later this week.