Starting at No. 9 and finishing No. 12 is a pretty solid year for the Gators’ basketball team. Of course, looking at only the initial and final ranking leaves out a ton of inconsistent play in between, but Florida is running strong with an SEC championship in hand and a 24-6 record heading into the post-season.
Fresh off winning the regular-season title outright by virtue of wins over Alabama and Vanderbilt, the Gators are No. 12 in the Associated Press poll and the USA Today coaches poll.
No. 15 is the only SEC team ranked in the AP poll. Vanderbilt and Alabama also received votes.
The conference tournament begins Thursday at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. Florida starts Friday after a first-round bye and faces Arkansas or Tennessee.
