Florida basketball reclaimed the No. 1 spot in ESPN's latest college basketball power rankings after three consecutive wins against Miami, Jacksonville and Florida State by an average margin of 16.7 points. The outlet pinned UF at the top-ranked team in its preseason ideation of the order as well.

"What stands out about the Gators from the first three games of the season is how quickly Todd Golden has settled into an eight-man rotation, wrote basketball insider Jeff Borzello.

During the opening stretch, the Gators' eight-man rotation has been crucial, as reserves Urban Klavzar, Domen Petrovic and Isaiah Brown combined to play 1999 of Florida's 200 available minutes across three games. Head coach Todd Golden is demonstrating confidence in the bench early, as a number of starters and reserves got equal playing time against both the Hurricanes and the Seminoles.

Florida is averaging 82.0 points per game while holding opponents to 65.3 points per game, with All-American Thomas Haugh leading the way. Haugh has been dominant early on, contributing 18.0 points and 9.0 rebounds per game on 51% shooting. He leads a front court many experts believe is the best in the nation. Haugh, Rueben Chinyelu and Alex Condon were all named to the preseason Naismith Player of the Year watchlist.

Kansas and UCLA were among the biggest risers for ESPN, while UConn and Michigan State entered the championship conversation. In the SEC, Texas is the other highest-rated team at No. 10, with Tennessee coming in at No. 14.

The Gators host Merrimack on Friday before facing Notre Dame in Las Vegas on Nov. 17.

ESPN's Top 25 men's college basketball power rankings

  1. Florida
  2. UConn
  3. Michigan State
  4. Kansas
  5. UCLA
  6. Duke
  7. Virginia
  8. Texas Tech
  9. Illinois
  10. Texas
  11. St. John's
  12. Louisville
  13. Arizona
  14. Tennessee
  15. Houston
  16. USC
  17. Gonzaga
  18. BYU
  19. Miami
  20. Alabama
  21. Vanderbilt
  22. Arkansas
  23. Saint Louis
  24. Michigan
  25. Nebraska

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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Florida boost case as nation's top team amid early rankings shakeup

Source: Yahoo Sports