Just a few weeks before the start of the 2025-2026 college basketball season, KenPom updated its ratings. The Gators, looking to repeat as national champions, rank as one of the top teams on the site.
What is KenPom?
KenPom, founded by Ken Pomeroy over twenty years ago, is a college basketball-dedicated site utilized by fans, media, and coaches to reveal the "efficiency" of any division one team. It's backed by statistics -- not by a bunch of voters who may or may not watch every team.
It's described on its site as independent of extenuating factors, truly defining the strength of the team:
"The purpose of this system is to show how strong a team would be if it played tonight, independent of injuries or emotional factors. Since nobody can see every team play all (or even most) of their games, this system is designed to give you a snapshot of a team’s current level of play."
It's widely credited by a multitude of sources, and many coaches have admitted to their regular use of the site.
Where the Gators rank
Florida ranks second in the ratings, only trailing Houston. Coincidentally enough, the Cougars were the ones to fall to the Gators in last year's national championship game.
Nationally, Florida has the third highest offensive efficiency rating (121.3), and sixth highest defensive (91.9). Its offensive rating only trails the likes of UConn (2) and Purdue (1). , while its defensive mark sits behind Cincinnati (5), Kentucky (4), Tennessee (3), Iowa State (2), and Houston (1).
A question it raises
The discrepancy between offensive and defensive efficiency highlights a lingering question for this Gators squad: how will the defense perform after losing so many pieces?
Florida lost out on some key pieces this season in Alijah Martin, Walter Clayton Jr., Will Richard, and Denzel Aberdeen, most notably.
Head Coach Todd Golden and his staff did a terrific job replacing what they'll miss on offense by adding star guards Xaivian Lee and Boogie Fland, plus an under-the-radar addition in AJ Brown, the older brother of sophomore Florida guard Isaiah Brown.
But, defense could be another story. It would have been a difficult task to replace the toughness of Richard, Clayton, and especially Martin on the defensive end, but the late hit of Aberdeen added new levels of stress.
Lee, Fland, and Brown aren't really known for their defensive skills, and two of the three in Lee and Brown are taking major leaps competition-wise.
It seems KenPom thinks Florida's defense will still be elite -- but not as much so as its offense.
We'll certainly find out if Florida's rating is reflective of its actual team skill level, as the Gators will take four of KenPom's top ten teams, excluding a "secret scrimmage" the Gators will play against Illinois on October 25th.