Florida Gators Top ESPN Rankings, Return Key Players

0:00On April 29th, Florida Gators is climbed to number one in ESPN's way too early rankings for the 202627 College Basketball. Season. The transfer portal shut down last Tuesday, NBA Early Entry Deadline hit Friday, and boom! Coach Todd Golden locked in his core by keeping Alex Condon, Boogie Flann and Thomas Howe who was pegged as a lottery pick. Ha and Condon passed on the draft to run it back in Gainesville, while Ruben Chignellus testing NBA waters but keeping college eligibility and plans to stay if he doesn't go pro. That sets up four of five starters returning from a squad, fresh off an SEC title. ESPN's calling Florida, the team to beat, vaulting them two spots from after the tournament. They swapped with reigning champ Michigan and jumped Duke with Illinois and Yukon rounding out the top five. Kentucky Transfer, Denzel Aberdeen committed to the Gators but needs an NCAA waiver for that extra year. He was on a national title team.

1:00If he gets it, their front court looks unstoppable, same as the one that won it all two years back. SEC stays stacked too, Arkansas, Texas, and Alabama holding six through eight. With Boogie Flann, Urban Clavesar, Ha, Condon, and Chignellu projected to start, Florida's primed to chase that ring early.