Florida basketball scored what may have been the biggest win of the 2024-25 campaign so far — not just for the Gators, but for the entire nation. A stunning 90-81 upset of the Auburn Tigers inside Neville Arena marked the second time this season that Todd Golden’s gang upended a top-ranked team as well as the program’s first-ever road win in that same context.
Unsurprisingly, the rankings have taken kindly to the Orange and Blue’s recent success to varying degrees. One member of the media who is feeling pretty good about Florida’s efforts so far is The Athletic’s C.J. Moore, who moved the Gators up one spot to No. 5 in his latest men’s college basketball rankings.
Moore was rather impressed with Florida’s performance on Saturday.
“Florida became the first team to reach 90 points against Auburn this season by utilizing great spacing and wisely taking advantage of the knowledge that Auburn doesn’t want to over-help,” he noted. “Auburn holds opponents to the lowest assist rate of any high-major team in the country. The Gators finished with 22 assists. The most assists Auburn had allowed before Saturday was 13 to Purdue.”
SEC schools in The Athletic’s top 25
The Southeastern Confernece is represented by nine teams in the top 25, headlined by Auburn — who remains perched atop the standings despite the loss — followed by the Alabama Crimson Tide (No. 3) and Tennessee Volunteers (No. 4), along with Florida among the top five spots. The Texas A&M Aggies (No. 8) represent the other SEC team in the top 10.
The Missouri Tigers log in at No. 19 followed by the Ole Miss Rebels (No. 20), Kentucky Wildcats (No. 22) and Mississippi State Bulldogs (No. 23) to round out the conference schools in the top 25.
Next up for Florida
The Gators remain on the road as they head to Starkville to take on the Mississippi State Bulldogs on Tuesday, Feb. 11. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET and the game will be broadcast on ESPN2.
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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Florida basketball moved up into the top 5 of The Athletic’s rankings
