With the 2025-26 college basketball season just days away from tipping off, The Athletic released its final preseason top 25 rankings.
Florida checks in at No. 5 overall, the same placement that college basketball writer CJ Moore had the Gators back in the initial rankings, released in June. He names Thomas Haugh as the “player to watch” this season, noting that the junior’s success at the small forward position is critical to Florida’s success.
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“Because the frontcourt is so deep, Haugh will likely start at small forward and play a decent amount of minutes at that spot,” Moore said. “If he can thrive in that role, it’ll help ease some of the pressure on those two transfer guards.”
Those two transfer guards are Boogie Fland (Arkansas) and Xaivian Lee (Princeton). Fland “showed flashes” during his freshman year under John Calipari, but his time with the Razorbacks was cut short. A thumb injury that required surgery took him off the court in January. If Fland can take the natural step forward from freshman to sophomore year, he could be one of the SEC’s best guards.
Lee is more unproven than Fland. He was a coveted asset on the transfer portal market after putting up stellar numbers in the Ivy League. Everyone is quicker and stronger in the SEC, though, so an adjustment period is expected. Success is relative, but the Gators are looking for Fland and Lee to replace the scoring load of Walter Clayton Jr., Alijah Martin and Will Richard.
“That’s a huge ask,” said Moore.
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Moore has the Michigan Wolverines on top of his list, comparing a powerful big-man duo to the UConn back-to-back championship roster makeup. The Kentucky Wildcats are No. 2 and the only SEC team ranked ahead of Florida. The Houston Cougars and UConn Huskies are the other two teams ahead of the Gators.
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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Florida Gators basketball The Athletic preseason rankings 2025-26
