AP Preseason Top 25: Florida starts as No. 1 – Defending champion Michigan drops to 16

TVS News AI, editorially supervised, presents AP Preseason Top 25: Florida starts as No. 1 – Defending champion Michigan drops to 16.

The Florida Gators sit at the top – and that's before a single ball of the new college basketball season has even been tipped. On October 19, 2026, the Associated Press released its traditional Preseason Top 25: Florida starts at No. 1, followed directly by Duke and Illinois. The top of the new season is already set before the first jump ball – and the championship race is taking shape.

The biggest surprise of the preview, however, is found further down. The Michigan Wolverines, national champions just last spring, reappear only at No. 16. According to The Athletic, the reason is plain: the program must replace four starters and its head coach. A bloodletting that pulls expectations for the upcoming season significantly downward – and raises the question for more than a few fans: Is this really the same defending champion?

The AP Preseason Top 25 is compiled every October by a panel of sports journalists from across the country and is considered one of the first mood indicators for the new season. Those at the top get not just attention, but also easier schedules, bigger TV slots, and the smoothest path to March Madness. Those further down have to fight their way up – even with a fresh championship ring in the closet.

Why Florida is at the very top

The top spot for the Gators didn't come out of nowhere. Florida drew attention with strong performances last season and has been considered one of the top title contenders in college circles for months. That the AP voters share this assessment is confirmation – and at the same time a piece of pressure for the season opener. Going into the season as No. 1, you can't afford weak performances without immediately inviting crash-and-burn narratives.

Seeing Duke right behind them is hardly a surprise. The Durham program has been one of the most consistent addresses in college basketball for years. More exciting is No. 3 for Illinois: After several strong seasons, the program has firmly established itself in the national elite. The days when the Illini were considered underdogs are over.

The defending champion's steep fall

Michigan has a problem – and its name is: departures. Four starters who carried the team through the NCAA Tournament last spring are gone. On top of that comes arguably the most painful loss: the head coach who won the title has also left the program. In college basketball, that's a combination that can set a team back for years. The roster is being rebuilt, the system recalibrated, the hierarchy rewritten.

No. 16 for a fresh champion still sounds harsh. But the AP preview looks forward, not back – and measures what stands on the floor, not what gleams in the trophy case. What voters see in Michigan is a roster in transition with no clear leader on the court and no experienced hand at the helm. How quickly the program can compensate for these losses is something the season will reveal – and is likely to become one of the most intriguing questions of the winter.

What this means for you as a fan

If you plan to follow the upcoming college season, the AP preview gives you three names against which you'll measure every ranking: Florida, Duke, Illinois. These are the programs that will set the tone as early as November. Michigan is the story to keep your eye on – not because of the top, but because of the question of whether a defending champion can truly come back after this kind of bloodletting. The first answer to that comes no later than March, when the NCAA Tournament separates the wheat from the chaff.