8. Florida (2-1)
After winning the national championship last season, Florida entered this year with high expectations once again. Despite losing a few critical pieces, the Gators returned their frontcourt intact and added a few major names from the transfer portal. Regardless, they fell short on opening night in a big matchup against Arizona and certainly haven’t quite hit their stride two weeks into this new season.
Still bouncing back from that loss to the Wildcats, the Gators had another night of struggle on Tuesday, coming back for a 78-76 home win over rival Florida State. Thomas Haugh had 20 points and 13 rebounds while Rueben Chinyelu added 10 points and 16 rebounds in another example of that returning frontcourt leading the charge for the Gators.
Frankly, Florida’s outside shooting has been horrible in each of their first three games and that absolutely must improve. The Gators cannot be a national contender and SEC favorite when they’re chucking and missing so many 3-pointers. The good news is that the frontcourt is very tough and one of the best in the nation and can help carry this team until the backcourt stabilizes. They’ll see fellow in-state rival Miami on Sunday, with hopes for a smoother team performance.