With the men’s basketball season now concluded, Florida can add one final achievement to its ledger for its championship season. The Gators had not been ranked No. 1 during the season in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll. But after cutting down the nets in San Antonio, the Gators wind up at the top in the poll that counts the most.
It is the first No. 1 ranking for Florida since the 2014 season, which also marked the program’s last Final Four appearance. Not surprisingly, the Gators were voted first by all 31 voters, with runner-up Houston the unanimous choice at No. 2.
From there opinions on the ballots began to differ slightly, but Duke will conclude the campaign at No. 3, 17 poll points ahead of Auburn, the fourth semifinalist in the highly accomplished quartet.
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Tennessee checks in at No. 5, the highest finisher among the regional finalists coming up a win short of San Antonio. Alabama finishes sixth, followed by the rest of the Elite Eight, Michigan State and Texas Tech. Maryland lands at No. 9, the first top-10 finish for the Terrapins since their championship season in 2002. St. John’s, the lone top eight seed not to make the round of 16, drops five poll positions but still ends up in the top 10 of the final poll for the first time since 1999.
The Gators’ championship is the culmination of a banner year for the SEC, which wins up with eight teams in the final poll with surprise Sweet 16 participant Arkansas breaking in at No. 25. The Big 12 and Big Ten end up with five ranked teams apiece. The ACC lands three with Clemson holding on at No. 23 despite its first-round tournament exit. The Big East and West Coast each land a pair of teams in the final rankings.
