Florida men's basketball won't have the luxury of sneaking up on anyone during the 2026-27 season.
More than half of nearly 100 Division I coaches surveyed by CBS Sports' Matt Norlander and Gary Parrish picked the Gators as the best team in college basketball entering the season. Florida received 55% of the vote in the "Candid Coaches" survey, beating out Duke by a large margin.
The Blue Devils were picked as No. 1 by 16% of coaches, followed by the Tennessee Volunteers (7%), the UConn Huskies (5%) and the Illinois Fighting Illini (5%). Arizona, Louisville, Michigan State and Texas received votes as well.
It's hardly a surprise to see Todd Golden's group at the top of anyone's list after the Orange and Blue retained four of its five starters, including projected lottery pick Thomas Haugh.
"I think there's no excuse for Florida to not sit at No. 1 most of the year," one coach said. "80% of scoring back with three true frontcourt monsters that probably eclipse most teams' total salaries by themselves."
Another coach predicted the Gators to be "stupid-good ... like 30-plus-win good and back to the championship." Along with Haugh, Rueben Chinyelu, Alex Condon and Urban Klavzar were part of the national championship squad in the 2024-2025 season. So was Denzel Aberdeen, who is committed to returning to Florida but waiting for clarity on his eligibility status.
If Aberdeen is cleared, he and Boogie Fland would provide a veteran presence in the backcourt, with Klavzar coming off the bench as the sixth man.
CBS Sports concluded that Florida will likely enter the fall as the consensus No. 1 team in preseason polls. The coaches surveyed appear to agree — and by a considerable margin.
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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: College basketball coaches overwhelmingly pick Florida as best team
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