19. Florida (4-0)
The situation in Gainesville isn’t precisely ideal, but the Gators just keep winning games and that’ll certainly keep people happy for the time being. Florida has a strong roster led by Walter Clayton Jr. that has already showed that strength in the opening weeks of the season. The jury is still out on Todd Golden after recent allegations, but that drama doesn’t seem to be affecting how his team is performing.
The Gators added two more double-digit wins this week, starting off with an 86-62 victory over Grambling State. Much of the roster was involved in this easy victory, led by 14 points from Rueben Chineylu and a few other nice performances. Friday was a different challenge, with Florida getting another win over their rivals, winning 87-74 at Florida State. Clayton proved his value with 25 points while Alijah Martin had 17 points against the Seminoles.
This team is using these early games to figure things out, but don’t be surprised if they’re a force in the SEC this season. Clayton and Martin should both be catalysts for this team and they both showed up against an ACC foe when needed this week. Next week’s tough game is Southern Illinois at home, meaning we won’t see the Gators really tested again for a few weeks. Keep an eye on their shooters, as the 3-pointers haven’t exactly been falling with consistency quite yet.