Gators Rise to No. 1 in Polls
Monday, February 24, 2014 | Men's Basketball
The Florida men's basketball team has been granted the nation's top spot by the Associated Press poll and the USA Today Coaches' poll this week.
For the first time since 2007, the Gators have ascended to No. 1 in the polls, the first time the honor has been this late in the season. The last time UF was ranked first during the season was the week of Feb. 12, 2007.
Overall, Florida owns a 15-5 record when ranked as the nation's top team, as this year marks the fourth different season in which UF has attained the top spot. In 2006-07, the Gators spent eight weeks as the number one squad, going an impressive 14-2. In 2002-03 and 2003-04, UF reached No. 1 one week each season, going 1-1 and 0-2, respectively.
Defeating Ole Miss on the road on Saturday, the Orange and Blue are off to their best start in program history with a 25-2 record, surpassing UF's previous best start of 24-2 in 2007. The Gators are on a program-record 19-game winning streak and also improved to 14-0 in conference play with the win.
Florida will take on Vanderbilt at Memorial Gym on Tuesday at 7 p.m. in their first meeting of the year and then return home on Mar. 1 to battle LSU. Fans can click here to view ticket options and purchase available tickets.
| Associated Press Poll Top 25 | |||
| Rank | Team | Record | Points |
| 1 | FLORIDA (47) | 25-2 | 1,606 |
| 2 | Wichita State (14) | 29-0 | 1,549 |
| 3 | Arizona (4) | 25-2 | 1,494 |
| 4 | Syracuse | 25-2 | 1,410 |
| 5 | Kansas | 21-6 | 1,310 |
| 6 | Duke | 22-6 | 1,286 |
| 7 | Louisville | 23-4 | 1,152 |
| 8 | Villanova | 24-3 | 1,113 |
| 9 | Creighton | 23-4 | 1,103 |
| 10 | Saint Louis | 25-2 | 1,047 |
| 11 | Cincinnati | 24-4 | 921 |
| 12 | Virginia | 23-5 | 909 |
| 13 | San Diego State | 23-3 | 886 |
| 14 | Wisconsin | 22-5 | 818 |
| 15 | Iowa State | 21-5 | 709 |
| 16 | Michigan | 19-7 | 653 |
| 17 | Kentucky | 21-6 | 629 |
| 18 | Michigan State | 22-6 | 552 |
| 19 | North Carolina | 20-7 | 440 |
| 20 | Iowa | 19-7 | 418 |
| 21 | Memphis | 21-6 | 288 |
| 22 | Ohio State | 22-6 | 253 |
| 23 | Southern Methodist | 22-6 | 155 |
| 24 | Texas | 20-7 | 129 |
| 25 | New Mexico | 21-5 | 113 |
| USA Today Coaches' Poll | |||
| Rank | Team | Record | Points |
| 1 | FLORIDA (24) | 25-2 | 791 |
| 2 | Wichita State (8) | 29-0 | 771 |
| 3 | Arizona | 25-2 | 727 |
| 4 | Louisville | 23-4 | 660 |
| 5 | Syracuse | 25-2 | 625 |
| 6 | Kansas | 21-6 | 619 |
| 7 | Duke | 22-6 | 594 |
| 8 | Saint Louis | 25-2 | 563 |
| 9 | Villanova | 24-3 | 538 |
| 10 | Creighton | 23-4 | 514 |
| 11 | Virginia | 23-5 | 480 |
| 12 | Cincinnati | 24-4 | 460 |
| 13 | San Diego State | 23-3 | 452 |
| 14 | Wisconsin | 22-5 | 358 |
| 15 | Kentucky | 21-6 | 343 |
| 16 | Michigan | 19-7 | 315 |
| 17 | Iowa State | 21-5 | 291 |
| 18 | Michigan State | 22-6 | 275 |
| 19 | Iowa | 19-7 | 229 |
| 20 | Ohio State | 22-6 | 166 |
| 21 | North Carolina | 20-7 | 153 |
| 22 | Memphis | 21-6 | 124 |
| 23 | Texas | 20-7 | 102 |
| 24 | Southern Methodist | 22-6 | 57 |
| 25 | Oklahoma | 20-7 | 52 |
