{
  "id": 15623484,
  "title": "Florida is No. 1 in preseason AP Top 25 men’s poll as Duke, Illini also receive first-place votes",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/19/florida-is-no-1-in-preseason-ap-top-25-mens-poll-as-duke-illini-also",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-19T16:02:33.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Winnipeg Free Press",
    "slug": "winnipeg-free-press",
    "url": "https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/world/2026/10/19/florida-is-no-1-in-preseason-ap-top-25-mens-poll-as-duke-illini-also-receive-first-place-votes"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Florida will start the men's college basketball season at the top of the preseason AP Top 25 rankings for the fourth consecutive year. The Gators received 47 of the 59 first-place votes from a panel of national media, marking their first appearance at the top of the poll since the final ranking in 2025. Head coach Todd Golden expressed excitement about the ranking but emphasized that his team has faced similar challenges and successes in the past. The team boasts returning starters from their national championship team, including Thomas Haugh, Alex Condon, Rueben Chinyelu, and Denzel Aberdeen, whose eligibility was confirmed after legal battles. Golden highlighted the importance of building on last year's experience to prepare for early-season expectations. Duke received 10 first-place votes and was ranked second in the preseason poll, while Illinois claimed the third spot. The Blue Devils matched their highest preseason ranking since 2017, despite recent losses in the NCAA Tournament. Illinois marked its best preseason ranking since 2001 and returns five of its top eight scorers, including Andrej Stojakovic and David Mirkovic. UConn and Arizona rounded out the top five, while Michigan State, Texas, Tennessee, Virginia, and Houston completed the top 10. Kentucky, the nation's No. 1 recruit, Tyran Stokes, and a host of returning veterans and transfers, will join the team as they aim to challenge for a national championship.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}