The 2025-26 men’s college basketball campaign kicks off on Monday night for the Florida Gators, who will try to defend their national title despite the loss of three of their star players to the NBA draft.
Fortunately, Todd Golden still has plenty of talent remaining on his roster from the last run, plus a few new faces after reloading for the upcoming season. Forward Alex Condon and Thomas Haugh are the biggest names returning to the O’Dome, while guard Boogie Fland represents a major addition via the transfer portal.
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Not only is the Gator Nation hyped up for the return of Florida’s finest, but the national sports media is also feeling very bullish on the Orange and Blue coming in. Among them is Sports Illustrated’s Kevin Sweeney, whose preseason bracketology has Florida at the top seed in the Midwest Region.
Golden’s gang is joined by three familiar teams they saw on their way to the national championship. The Houston Cougars, who were the runners-up after outlasting them in the final game, are the No. 1 seed in the South Region; the Duke Blue Devils are the top-seeded school in the West; the UConn Huskies are perched atop the East.
Sports Illustrated’s full preseason men’s basketball bracketology
South Region
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No. 1 Houston* vs. No. 16 Central Connecticut State*/Bethune-Cookman*
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No. 8 Texas A&M vs. No. 9 NC State
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No. 5 UCLA vs. No. 12 Liberty*
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No. 4 Arkansas vs. No. 13 High Point*
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No. 6 North Carolina vs. No. 11 Memphis*
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No. 3 Michigan vs. No. 14 McNeese*
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No. 7 Iowa State vs. No. 10 USC
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No. 2 Louisville vs. No. 15 Little Rock*
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East Region
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No. 1 UConn* vs. No. 16 Colgate*/Norfolk State*
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No. 8 Oregon vs. No. 9 Missouri
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No. 5 Wisconsin vs. No. 12 Northern Iowa*
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No. 4 Auburn vs. No. 13 Miami (Ohio)*
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No. 6 Ohio State vs. No. 11 Saint Louis*
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No. 3 Kentucky vs. No. 14 Vermont*
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No. 7 Alabama vs. No. 10 Indiana
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No. 2 Texas Tech vs. No. 15 Montana*
Midwest Region
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No. 1 Florida* vs. No. 16 Youngstown State*
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No. 8 Iowa vs. No. 9 Marquette
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No. 5 Virginia vs. No. 12 Charleston*
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No. 4 Illinois vs. No. 13 UC Santa Barbara*
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No. 6 Michigan State vs. No. 11 Vanderbilt/Saint Mary’s
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No. 3 BYU vs. No. 14 Chattanooga*
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No. 7 San Diego State* vs. No. 10 Cincinnati
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No. 2 St. John’s vs. No. 15 Siena*
West Region
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No. 1 Duke* vs. No. 16 Eastern Kentucky*
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No. 8 Baylor vs. No. 9 Washington
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No. 5 Tennessee vs. No. 12 Yale*
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No. 4 Arizona vs. No. 13 James Madison*
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No. 6 Gonzaga* vs. No. 11 SMU/Maryland
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No. 3 Kansas vs. No. 14 St. Thomas*
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No. 7 Creighton vs. No. 10 Oklahoma
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No. 2 Purdue* vs. No. 15 Tarleton State*
* — Indicates automatic bid
On the bubble
Last Four Byes
Last Four In
First Four Out
Next Four Out
About Sports Illustrated’s bracketology
“Doing bracketology (a résumé-driven exercise) before anyone has a résumé does in some ways feel like putting the cart before the horse, but we can mock out what the field of 68 would look like based solely on Sports Illustrated’s preseason rankings by pulling our projected conference champions and filling the rest with our highest-rated teams,” Sweeney states.
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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Florida basketball: SI’s preseason bracketology has Gators in top seed
