Florida Basketball Surges to Unexpected Spotlight in Early ESPN Bracketology—Could This Be Their Breakout Season?

March Madness might still be a ways off—nine months, to be exact—but let me tell you, the buzz around Florida basketball for the 2025-26 season is already sizzling hot. Joe Lunardi, the ESPN bracketology guru we all rely on to break down the madness, has Florida Gators pegged as the top overall seed in the 2026 NCAA Tournament. Imagine that—the Gators leading the East Region and kicking things off against Southeast Missouri State right in Tampa’s Amalie Arena. It’s a significant nod to a program fresh off one of its most dominant seasons, returning key pieces like Alex Condon and Rueben Chinyelu, and spicing things up with transfers ready to make an impact. What’s more, Coach Todd Golden isn’t just banking on these inks and returns; he’s setting a high bar, ready to instill a standard that demands excellence every time those Gators hit the hardwood. It’s a compelling setup, blending the weight of legacy with fresh ambition that just might carry Florida back to glory. Intrigued? You should be. LEARN MORE

Florida returns two starters (forward Alex Condon and center Rueben Chinyelu) and standout sixth man forward Thomas Haugh from a team that went 36-4 and won its third national championship in school history. In addition, UF was active in the transfer portal, replenishing its backcourt by adding Arkansas transfer point guard Boogie Fland, Princeton transfer point guard Xaivian Lee and Ohio shooting guard A.J. Brown.UConn is the last program to repeat as national champions in 2023 and 2024. Florida pulled it off with national championships in 2006 and 2007 after all five of UF’s starters chose to return to defend their crown.Lunardi has Florda as the No. 1 seed in the East Region facing 16-seed Southeast Missouri State in Tampa, as Amalie Arena in Tampa will serve as a region host site in 2026. Florida has won eight straight NCAA Tournament games in its home state, with its last loss coming to Michigan State in Tampa on March 23, 2023 (68-46).

“We have a standard in our program now, and we have enough guys back that they know what it is,” Golden said, “I think they have enough ownership to have the desire to hold other guys to it.

Kevin Brockway is The Gainesville Sun’s Florida beat writer. Contact him at [email protected]. Follow him on X @KevinBrockwayG1. Read his coverage of the Gators’ national championship basketball season in “CHOMP-IONS!” — a hardcover coffee-table collector’s book from The Sun. Details at Florida.ChampsBook.com

ESPN bracketology expert Joe Lunardi has the Florida Gators as the top overall seed in the 2026 Tournament in his latest bracketology projections released June 24.

March Madness is nine months away. But at least one ESPN personality is high on the prospects of Florida basketball for the 2025-26 season.It’s a different scenario this time for UF with only two starters and a key bench piece back. Florida basketball coach Todd Golden said the focus in the 2025-26 season will be to play up to the standard the program has set in his three seasons at the helm.