The confetti has barely stopped falling in the wake of Florida's thrilling national championship win over Houston on Monday night. There's still a parade to be had, late-night talk show circuits to go on, rings to get fitted.
But this is college basketball in the year 2025 we're talking about; we don't have time for any of that. As the transfer portal and coaching carousel get cranked up, we're already on to the most important question: What's next?
For the Gators, that's a particularly tough question to answer. Todd Golden just became the youngest head coach to win it all in over 40 years; that's a pretty good place to start. Beyond that, though, there's so much we don't know about how Florida will look when it begins its championship defense next fall, with several key players out of eligibility or off to the NBA. Where do the Gators shake out in a way-too-early top 25, and what needs to they need to address? Let's break it down.
Way-too-early Top 25 projection for Florida after NCAA title
To be clear, the cupboard is far from bare. Alex Condon has an NBA Draft decision to make, but if the borderline first-rounder opts to return for another season in Gainesville, Florida figures to have arguably the best frontcourt in the country with Condon, Thomas Haugh and Rueben Chinyelu.
The backcourt, however, is a different story. All-everything guard Walter Clayton Jr. is gone, as are Will Richard and Alijah Martin, leaving this team very short on ball-handling and playmaking ability. Four-star combo guard Alex Lloyd could mitigate that somewhat, but that's an awful lot to ask of a freshman.
Really, this comes down to the moves Golden makes in the portal over the next few weeks. Restock the cupboard at guard, and Florida should have all the necessary ingredients to be back toward the top of the SEC again next season. But that's difficult to project right now; based strictly on what's currently in-house, the Gators look like a good but not great team, one with clear strengths and flaws that should fall somewhere in the back half of the top 20.