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College basketball rankings: Preseason Top 25 – Michigan State No. 1, ACC is loaded

By Mike Phillips

WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 31: Michigan State players and coach Tom Izzo at the end of the Div 1 Men's championship - elite eight game between Duke and Michigan State, on March 31, 2019, at Capital One Arena, in Washington D.C. (Photo by Tony Quinn/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 31: Michigan State players and coach Tom Izzo at the end of the Div 1 Men's championship - elite eight game between Duke and Michigan State, on March 31, 2019, at Capital One Arena, in Washington D.C. (Photo by Tony Quinn/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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8. Florida

For most of last season, the Florida Gators were a good but not great team in the SEC. While Kentucky and Tennessee had their way with the Gators, the one thing keeping Florida bubble-relevant was their ability to knock off LSU.

The Gators swept LSU during the regular season, and the Tigers were poised to get their revenge in the SEC Tournament before Andrew Nembhard nailed a buzzer-beater to knock off LSU again. That win would help punch Florida’s ticket to the NCAA Tournament, where they knocked off No. 7 seed Nevada before falling to Michigan in the Round of 32.

Florida lost a few key players off of last year’s team, but they secured a massive commitment when former Virginia Tech product Kerry Blackshear Jr.decided to come to Gainesville. Blackshear, who is a grad transfer, averaged 14.9 points per game and 7.5 rebounds per game with the Hokies and should provide some valuable experience to a young Gators’ squad.

The presence of Blackshear helps immediately vault the Gators into the conversation for SEC favorites, particularly since Tennessee, LSU, and Auburn should be taking steps back. It will be interesting to watch how Mike White‘s bunch does with the pressure of expectations, especially since they were relatively unheralded a year ago.

White has set his team up for success with a challenging non-conference schedule, which features matchups with Florida State, road trips to UConn and Butler, and neutral site games against Providence and Utah State. That level of competition should prepare Florida for the rigors of SEC play.