Florida Basketball: Gators left in the cold of AP Top 25 poll

Heading into the NIT Season Tip-Off, we had written that a solid week for Florida basketball could vault the squad into the top 25 when this week’s poll came out. The Gators had a respectable week that featured a blowout win over Pittsburgh and a tight loss to Baylor.

But in the eyes of the national voters, Todd Golden and crew still have work to do as the Gators were left entirely out of the poll.

Florida Basketball: Zero votes

During the broadcast against Baylor, ESPN commentator Fran Fraschilla was very complimentary of the Gators and said that despite the loss, he felt that Florida was still a top 25 team in the nation.

Apparently, nobody else got the memo as Florida was not only omitted from the top 25, they failed to gain a single vote from anyone in the country.

Given that most computer rankings have Florida basketball ranked in the 30s, it isn’t insane that the Gators were left out of the top 25.

What is insane is that Florida State, the team the Gators beat by 21 points, gained eight votes in the poll following their win over previously ranked Colorado.

Coming out of Brooklyn, the Gators have the feel of a tournament team that is fully capable of making the Sweet 16 if the chips fall correctly.

Florida will have a chance to prove the voters wrong on Wednesday as the Gators will travel to Wake Forest as part of the SEC/ACC Challenge.

Tip-off for that game is at 7:15 PM.