It comes as no surprise that Florida is nowhere to be found on the Week 8 update to the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll.
In the week since the last update, Florida played just one game, a 9-point loss to Oklahoma in Charlotte on Tuesday, Dec. 20. It’s far from Florida’s worst loss of the season, but it’s going to take a significant win for the Gators to muster up any support from the Coaches Poll voters.
Currently, six SEC programs are in the top 25: No. 7 Arkansas, No. 9 Alabama, No. 10 Tennessee, No.17 Kentucky, No. 20 Mississippi State and No. 23 Auburn. Missouri rounds out the top half of the conference and has 19 votes to its name.
As conference play begins, Florida has a few early opportunities to prove itself. Auburn is the next opponent on the schedule and the last game of the calendar year. A win over the Tigers on Wednesday could be the start of something, and then Florida has two very winnable games against Texas A&M and Georgia. The UGA game will also be Mike White’s return to Gainesville.
Here’s a full look at the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll for men’s basketball.
| Rank | Team | Record | Points | Trend |
| 1 | Purdue | 12-0 | 790 (25) | – |
| 2 | Connecticut | 13-0 | 772 (7) | – |
| 3 | Houston | 12-0 | 718 | – |
| 4 | Kansas | 11-1 | 695 | – |
| 5 | Arizona | 12-1 | 673 | – |
| 6 | Texas | 10-1 | 605 | +1 |
| 7 | Arkansas | 11-1 | 541 | +1 |
| 8 | UCLA | 11-2 | 540 | +1 |
| 9 | Alabama | 10-2 | 532 | +1 |
| 10 | Tennessee | 10-2 | 523 | +1 |
| 11 | Gonzaga | 10-3 | 493 | +1 |
| 12 | Virginia | 8-2 | 483 | -6 |
| 13 | Baylor | 9-2 | 477 | – |
| 14 | Duke | 10-3 | 312 | – |
| 15 | Wisconsin | 9-2 | 292 | +3 |
| 16 | Miami (FL) | 12-1 | 290 | +6 |
| 17 | Kentucky | 8-3 | 280 | -1 |
| 18 | Indiana | 10-3 | 213 | +3 |
| 19 | Texas Christian | 10-1 | 202 | – |
| 20 | Mississippi State | 11-1 | 169 | -5 |
| 21 | Maryland | 9-3 | 96 | +2 |
| 22 | Illinois | 8-4 | 90 | -6 |
| 23 | Auburn | 10-2 | 88 | +1 |
| 24 | West Virginia | 10-2 | 87 | +3 |
| 25 | Xavier | 10-3 | 79 | +3 |
Schools Dropped Out
No. 20 Virginia Tech; No. 25 Marquette.
Others Receiving Votes
Ohio State 70; North Carolina 56; Virginia Tech 50; Memphis 27; New Mexico 26; Missouri 19; Iowa State 17; Kansas State 15; San Diego St. 13; Charleston 12; Arizona State 9; Southern California 7; Providence 7; Marquette 6; Saint Mary’s 5; Florida Atlantic 5; Texas Tech 4; Rutgers 4; Michigan St. 4; Utah St. 2; Iowa 2.
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Men’s Basketball | Gators Wire…
