Florida Basketball sits nicely in Field of 68's Preseason Poll

Field of 68 released its preseason poll, and as expected, Florida and Head Coach Todd Golden rank near the top.

But not first?

The defending champions were placed third in the poll, only trailing (2) Houston and (1) Purdue.

While a top-five ranking isn't something to scoff at, the Gators won the national championship just a few months ago, and they're bringing in one of the best transfer portal classes in the nation, headlined by former Arkansas guard Boogie Fland.

The additions of high school prospects Alex Lloyd and CJ Ingram, both top fifty prospects, cannot be overlooked as well. Golden has made his fondness for them known, and he's expecting big things for the duo.

No disrespect towards Purdue or Houston, but there's a legitimate reason to question why Florida isn't considered the top team in the land.

Tough Schedule? This isn't football!

Yes, you read that right. In a sport other than football, the Gators have an incredibly challenging schedule. It's almost like Florida values tough, competitive games over blowout wins against overmatched schools.

The Gators will meet (4) Connecticut, (5) Duke, (7) Kentucky twice, (12) Arkansas, (14) Alabama, (15) Auburn, (17) Arizona, and (22) Tennessee. That doesn't account for matchups against Florida State, Miami, TCU, either Providence or Wisconsin, and George Washington, completely ignoring the absolute gauntlet that the SEC is.

With fourteen of sixteen teams making the NCAA Tournament last season, the SEC is shaping up for another year of domination over the college basketball world. The Gators will have to navigate through the brutality of it, with a difficult task of taking on the highest-ranked SEC team (besides themselves). Golden and his crew hope this is the year they'll be able to break through and take the conference regular-season crown.

The season's quickly approaching, and we're now just under fifty days away from players taking the court.

There's a lot to question about this Gators squad, but if Todd Golden has taught us anything, it's that Florida fans should trust him with their souls.