Florida had not, before Thursday, started 5-0 since the 2012-13 season. But the Gators changed that via an 81-76 victory over Seton Hall that pushed their record to 5-0 heading into Friday night's showdown with Gonzaga in one semifinal of the Advocare Invitational.
Michael White's team already has three top-80 KenPom wins.
And that should be beneficial on Selection Sunday -- when it's starting to look like Florida will receive good news, if only because it's starting to look like Florida is the team best equipped to prevent Kentucky from winning the SEC by multiple games. In other words, no, I don't think anybody is seriously challenging John Calipari's Wildcats in the SEC. But I do think Florida will finish second in the league. And second in the league, combined with a nice non-league resume, should be enough to get the Gators into the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2014.
Florida is No. 22 in the updated Top 25 (and one).
The complete Top 25 (and one) is below.
Biggest Movers
2
Florida
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Malik Monk is averaging 17.2 points and shooting 43.2 percent from 3-point range. He's reached double-figures in points in all five UK games. | -- | 23-10 |
| 2 |  | The Wildcats have a top-10 offense and defense, according to KenPom. Josh Hart is averaging a team-high 18.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.7 steals. | -- | 18-16 |
| 3 |  | Five different Tar Heels are averaging at least 10.7 points through seven games. Joel Berry is averaging a team-high 17.1 points while shooting 47.1 percent from 3-point range. | -- | 29-8 |
| 4 |  | Frank Mason is averaging a team-high 21.6 points, 5.0 assists and 4.2 rebounds for the Jayhawks. He's shooting 51.4 percent from the field. | -- | 23-11 |
| 5 |  | The Blue Devils have the nation's most efficient offense with a rating of 122.2, according to KenPom. Luke Kennard is averaging a team-high 17.0 points and 6.3 rebounds. | -- | 27-9 |
| 6 |  | Trevon Bluiett got 21 points and eight rebounds in Sunday's win over Northern Iowa. He's averaging a team-high 18.6 points through five games. | -- | 16-18 |
| 7 |  | The Cavaliers held Grambling State to just 12 field goals in Tuesday's blowout of the Tigers. Virginia is leading the nation in defensive efficiency with a rating of 87.3. | -- | 23-11 |
| 8 |  | T.J. Leaf is averaging 19.0 points and 9.8 rebounds while shooting 71.7 percent from the field. He's the main reason UCLA is shooting 62.2 percent on 2-pointers as a team. | -- | 16-17 |
| 9 |  | Jock Landale is averaging 21.3 points and 9.5 rebounds through four games for SMC. That's 13.4 more points and 5.6 more rebounds than he averaged last season. | -- | 26-8 |
| 10 |  | Freshman Zach Collins is leading the Zags in scoring. He's averaging 13.8 points and 6.0 rebounds through four games. | -- | 27-8 |
| 11 |  | The Cardinals have the nation's most efficient defense, according to KenPom. Nobody has scored more than 62 points against them. | -- | 8-24 |
| 12 |  | Freshman Lauri Markkanen is averaging a team-high 18.8 points and 8.4 rebounds. Arizona's top three scorers are all freshmen. | -- | 27-9 |
| 13 |  | The Bluejays already have three top-100 KenPom wins. Kansas State transfer Marcus Foster is averaging a team-high 18.0 points per game while shooting 51.4 percent from 3-point range. | -- | 25-10 |
| 14 |  | The Badgers allowed UNC to grab 88.6 percent of its defensive rebounding opportunities in Wednesday's loss. Nigel Hayes is now shooting just 29.0 from beyond the arc this season. | -- | 22-14 |
| 15 |  | The Hoosiers missed 17 of the 24 3-pointers they attempted in Tuesday's loss at Fort Wayne. Regardless, they're still shooting 40.8 percent from beyond the arc on the season. | -- | 19-14 |
| 16 |  | The Bears are the nation's only team with three top-40 KenPom wins already on their resume. JUCO transfer Jo Lual-Acuil is averaging 10.2 points and 8.4 rebonds. | -- | 24-11 |
| 17 |  | The Rams missed eight of the 11 3-point shots they attempted in Sunday's loss to Duke. Jarvis Garrett was 0-of-4 from beyond the arc. | 1 | 12-20 |
| 18 |  | The Boilermakers' lone loss is a 79-76 loss to Villanova. Caleb Swanigan is averaging 18.2 points and 11.8 rebounds while shooting 76.2 percent from the field. | 1 | 34-5 |
| 19 |  | Nebraska transfer Andrew White is averaging a team-high 17.3 points for the Orange. He's scored at least 15 points in all four of Syracuse's games. | 1 | 20-12 |
| 20 |  | Monte Morris has scored at least 17 points in each of Iowa State's four games. He's averaging 19.0 points, 6.3 assists and 6.0 rebounds. | 1 | 29-8 |
| 21 |  | The Mountaineers create turnovers on 33.9 percent of their opponents' possessions. That ranks first nationally by more than five percentage points. | 1 | 9-23 |
| 22 |  | The Gators are 5-0 for the first time since the 2012-13 season. Graduate transfer Canyon Berry is averaging a team-best 14.6 points and 4.6 rebounds. | 2 | 24-12 |
| 23 |  | The Shockers are on pace to have a top-20 defense for the fifth consecutive year. Markis McDuffie is averaging a team-best 11.8 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists. | -- | 15-19 |
| 24 |  | The Bearcats are grabbing 40.7 percent of their own missed shots. They're led by Kyle Washington, who is averaging 17.2 points and 10.8 rebounds. | 1 | 22-15 |
| 25 |  | The Irish have the nation's lowest turnover percentage, which is among the reasons they have a top-10 offense. Notre Dame already owns two top-55 KenPom wins thanks to victories over Colorado and Northwestern. | 1 | 13-20 |
| 26 |  | The Hokies have won each of their four games by at least 13 points. Justin Robinson is averaging 11.5 points, 5.5 assists and 4.8 rebounds. | NR | 19-15 |
