The Florida Gators have steadily climbed the ESPN Basketball Power Index all season and are now ranked ninth overall.

The Florida Gators reached a season-high No. 4 placement in the KenPom College Basketball Ratings this week, following a 30-point victory over Georgia on Saturday. A plus-31.04 adjusted efficiency margin puts Florida 0.

The university cleared Golden on Monday following a four-month investigation into allegations of sexual exploitation, sexual harassment and stalking. The school said no evidence was found and ended its investigation.

What to Know: Wilson was a longtime Oregon commit, but noticeably did not sign with the Ducks in the early signing period. Instead, the coveted receiver became the highest-ranked Gator in the 2025 cycle after flipping to Florida on Dec. 22. He caught 41 balls for 677 yards and nine touchdowns for Tampa Bay Tech last year.

UF's offensive line projects as a strength in 2025 with All-American center Jake Slaughter and left tackle Austin Barber among four starters returning. Freshman All-SEC guard/tackle Bryce Lovett is also back to provide depth at all positions.

Alachua County deputies arrested former Florida football, GHS DL Earl Okine on drugs and weapons charges on Wednesday night

Vernell Brown III, ranked No. 35 overall and the fifth-best wide receiver in the 2025 class, is celebrated for his explosive athleticism and playmaking skills. Known for his quickness and ability to create separation, Brown can be a formidable threat at the receiver position as well as bring value as a return specialist.

Florida coach Todd Golden is happy to focus on basketball while putting sexual misconduct accusations behind him.

No current Florida Gators player can boast the 144 career games (106 starts) that Alijah Martin has played. Basically, he's played 23 more than the nearest teammate. The grizzled veteran of the group, Martin's goal remains the exact same, and the reason why he transferred to Florida.

This offseason, while Florida Gators fans jumped at every big-name wide receiver to enter the portal, obsessed over five-star receivers in the 2025 cycle and begged the Gators to get more weapons for quarterback DJ Lagway, Tank Hawkins sits forgotten.

Gainesville, Florida; Thursday, 7 p.m. EST BOTTOM LINE: No. Vanderbilt visits Florida after Mikayla Blakes scored 33 points in Vanderbilt's 66-64 victory against the Alabama Crimson Tide.

No. 6 Florida basketball beat Tennessee by 30 points at home but should have harder time in road rematch with the Vols