Where Florida Lands in ESPN’s Way-Too-Early Bracketology originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
Two months removed from their third national championship in program history, the Florida Gators promise to be one of the top teams in the country again in 2026.
ESPN’s Joe Lunardi released his latest Way-Too-Early Bracketology for the upcoming season on Tuesday, and Florida is listed as the top overall seed. UF is joined on the 1-seed line by the Duke Blue Devils, Purdue Boilermakers and the 2025 runner-up Houston Cougars.
“This team has all the pieces to make a Final Four return and win the title again,” Lunardi said.
Florida Gators head basketball coach Todd Golden.© Bob Donnan-Imagn Images
UF lost most of its production from its title-winning season. The Gators’ three leading scorers, the backcourt trio of Walter Clayton Jr., Alijah Martin and Will Richard, all graduated and are entering the 2025 NBA Draft. This leaves big shoes to fill at the guard position.
Florida head coach Todd Golden attempted to fill them this offseason, loading up the backcourt with a pair of star-studded transfers in Xaivian Lee and Boogie Fland. Lee arrives in Gainesville after spending three years at Princeton, where he scored 17 points per game over the past two seasons, earning back-to-back unanimous All-Ivy First Team selections.
Fland transferred to UF after playing one year at SEC-rival Arkansas. Fland averaged 13.5 points, 5.1 assists and over one steal per contest in his freshman season. The Bronx, New York native missed two months with a thumb injury but returned in the Razorbacks’ run to the Sweet 16 in 2025.
With the addition of Lee, Fland and ESPN Top 100 high-schoolers Alexander Lloyd and Cornelius Ingram Jr., to go along with returners like Thomas Haugh and Alex Condon, the Gators will be a force to be reckoned with next season.
While Selection Sunday is still 264 days away, there is no doubt Florida will be one of the favorites to repeat as national champions for the second time in UF history.
Related: Walter Clayton Jr.’s Final NBA Mock Draft Predictions
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 25, 2025, where it first appeared.
