Florida is the No. 1 team in the 2026-27 preseason Top 25 men's college basketball poll, giving the Gators the early edge in a wide-open national picture after a busy offseason across the sport.
Duke follows at No. 2, while Michigan is No. 16 after Dusty May left in the offseason. The poll arrives against a backdrop of 54 coaching changes, an active transfer portal and ongoing eligibility battles in the courts, all of which made this preseason ranking feel even more fluid than usual.
Florida's No. 1 ranking comes after a 2025-26 season in which it finished 27-8 before losing to 9-seed Iowa in the round of 32. Duke is right behind the Gators after a 35-3 season ended with a loss to 2-seed UConn in the Elite Eight. Illinois, which finished 28-9 and lost to 2-seed UConn in the Final Four, is also in the mix near the top of the poll.
What the top of the poll tells us
The preseason Top 25 does not settle anything, but it does set the early tone for the season. Florida's placement at No. 1 puts immediate pressure on a team that will get an early national spotlight, beginning Nov. 2 against Miami in Tampa at 6 p.m. Duke opens the same night against Army at 6:30 p.m., and Illinois starts its season against Fairleigh Dickinson at 8 p.m.
The first major early-season stretch also gives the top teams a chance to learn how they stack up. Illinois plays at Duke on Nov. 17 at 7 p.m., Duke meets UConn in Las Vegas on Nov. 25 at 7 p.m., and Florida faces Duke in the ACC/SEC Challenge on Dec. 1 at 9:30 p.m. Those matchups should help sort out the top of the rankings quickly.
Michigan's No. 16 ranking stands out because it comes after the reigning national champion lost Dusty May in the offseason. Even with that change, the Wolverines remain a ranked team as the new season begins, which speaks to the program's standing and the respect it still has in the poll.
For now, Florida sits at the top, Duke is close behind and the rest of the preseason field will spend the opening weeks trying to prove the order was right.
