Florida tops the AP Poll as high-profile matchups highlight early schedule

The men's basketball AP Top 25 poll was released on Oct. 19, and the Florida Gators were given the No. 1 preseason ranking. The No. 1 preseason team hasn't won the national championship the following March since the 2008-09 season.

The nation's most complete team returns

Voters viewed Florida, Duke and Illinois as the nation's top-tier contenders, as they were the only teams to receive first-place votes.

Florida isn't the preseason No. 1 team because it landed a headline-grabbing recruiting class or won the transfer portal offseason. The Gators sit atop the rankings because they bring back the most valuable commodity in modern college basketball: proven continuity combined with elite talent, and a team that, with a 27-win season and back-to-back No. 1 seeds, suggests Florida has moved beyond contender status and into the sport's elite tier.

Most national contenders spend the offseason trying to replace production. Florida doesn't have that problem. The Gators return arguably the nation's best frontcourt trio in Alex Condon, Thomas Haugh and Rueben Chinyelu. Condon has already established himself as one of the most versatile big men in the country, 

Haugh's development gives Florida another matchup nightmare, and Chinyelu provides the physical interior presence that few teams can match. That's a luxury almost nobody else possesses.

Here are the biggest early-season games for the AP Top 10 during Feast Week and beyond 

No. 1 Florida vs. No. 2 Duke in the ACC/SEC Challenge  Dec. 1 

No. 2 Duke vs. No. 4 UConn in Las Vegas  Nov. 25

No. 3 Illinois vs. No. 2 Duke  Nov. 17

No. 4 UConn vs. No. 16 Michigan in Boston Nov. 6

No. 5 Arizona vs. No. 4 UConn Nov. 18

No. 6 Michigan State vs. No. 2 Duke in Chicago (Champion Classic) Nov. 10 

No. 7 Texas @ No. 11 Louisville in the ACC/SEC Challenge Dec. 1 

No. 8 Tennessee vs. No. 6 Michigan State Nov. 17

No. 9 Virginia vs. No. 4 UConn in New York Dec. 20 

Nov. 17-19 Players Era 8 in Las Vegas features a field including No. 1 Florida, No. 10 Houston and No. 17 Kansas.