1. Florida Gators
The defending champions are reloaded for a repeat bid. Boogie Fland (Arkansas) and Xaivian Lee (Princeton) join returning frontcourt duo Thomas Haugh and Alex Condon. Florida may take time to gel, but will remain as one of the teams to beat by March.
Golden and the Gators are certainly going to miss their playmaker, Walter Clayton Jr. He led the team in scoring with 18.3 points per game. Alijah Martin is another piece of the puzzle that the Gators will miss. But strong work in the portal and on the recruiting trail will keep pieces together for another title run.
A season ago, the Gators won their final 12 games. The last time they lost was on the road at the Georgia Bulldogs on February 25. Following wins over Texas A&M, Alabama, and Ole Miss, the Gators remained hot with six of their final nine wins over teams ranked in the Top 25.
Following three seasons with the San Francisco Dons, Golden has won 76 out of 109 games in his three seasons with Florida. This is coming following a 16-17 start to his career in Gainesville.
The fun will get started right away for the Gators. The first game out of the shoot is on Monday, November 3, in Vegas against the Arizona Wildcats. The Gators also have Florida State, Miami, TCU, Duke, and UConn on their non-conference slate.
- Head Coach: Todd Golden (4th season)
- Home Arena: O’Connell Center; Gainesville, FL
- 2024-25 Record: 36-4
- 2024-25 Conference Record: 14-4
- 2024-25 Advancement: Won the NCAA Tournament title over Houston 65-63. Also won tournament games over Norfolk State, UConn, Maryland, Texas Tech and Auburn. Also won the SEC Tournament over Tennessee.
- Leading scorer: Walter Clayton Jr., 18.3 per game
- Leading rebounder: Alex Condon, 7.5 per game
- First Game: Monday, November 3rd, 2025 vs. Arizona