Three games into the 2025-26 college basketball season, the Florida Gators are down three spots in the ESPN College Basketball Power Index.
The Gators have an 18.5 overall BPI — good for No. 8 — with the offense at 9.0 (20th) and the defense at 9.5 (5th). ESPN projects Florida to go 20.7-9.3 and 11.5-6.5 in conference play, based on the results so far.
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“The College Basketball Power Index (BPI) is a measure of team strength that is meant to be the best predictor of performance going forward,” ESPN explains. “BPI represents how many points above or below average a team is. Strength of Record (SOR) is a measure of team accomplishment based on how difficult a team’s W-L record is to achieve. Game predictions account for opponent strength, pace of play, site, travel distance, day’s rest and altitude, and are used to simulate the season 10,000 times to produce season projections.”
Florida is the favorite to win the conference, with ESPN giving the Gators 32.7% odds. Kentucky is the next closest at 27.9%, and Tennessee is at 18.4%. With one big game already out of the way, Florida still faces the 15th-toughest schedule in the country moving forward.
Strength of Record/Schedule
Despite playing a top-25 team in Arizona on opening night, Florida’s strength of record is only ranked No. 36 in the country. The loss to the Wildcats gives the Gators a 0-1 record against quality opponents. ESPN has Florida’s overall strength of schedule ranked No. 56.
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While the terms are similar, strength of record “reflects the chance a typical 25th-ranked team would have the same record or better,” while strength of schedule does the same but considers “game location, day’s rest, travel distance and high altitude.” ESPN differentiates between the complete strength of schedule and the non-conference strength of schedule, but conference play has not begun.
It’s too early to start seeding teams for the NCAA Tournament, so ESPN has left those data points blank.
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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Florida Gators basketball ESPN Basketball Power Index Week 2
