March Madness: USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll rankings updated ahead of NCAA Tournament

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Selection Sunday has come and gone, but the March Madness action is just about to kick into full gear with the opening of the 2025 NCAA Tournament this week.

Among those participating in the Big Dance this year are the Florida Gators, who earned the top seed in the West Region after a superlative regular season that culminated with an SEC Tournament championship. It is just the third time that the program has earned a No. 1 seed, with the last one coming back in 2014.

After Sunday's announcement, the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll was released, which saw Todd Golden's team swap places with the Auburn Tigers, taking over the No. 3 spot in the nation behind the Duke Blue Devils and Houston Cougars, respectively. That was the only change among the top six teams.

SEC schools in Coaches Poll top 25​

The Southeastern Conference is represented by nine schools in this week's update, with seven landing among the top 25. Florida and Auburn are third and fourth, respectively, while the Tennessee Volunteers come in at No. 6 followed by the Alabama Crimson Tide at No. 8 to round out the top 10. The Texas A&M Aggies fell to No. 18, Kentucky Wildcats fell to No. 22 and Missouri Tigers fell to No. 24 — all three teams fell two spots — to wrap up the top 25.

The Ole Miss Rebels grabbed a pair of votes while the Vanderbilt Commodores hung onto one lone ballot.

Full USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll​

Rank	Team	Record	Points
1	Duke(25)	31-3	764
2	Houston(2)	30-4	731
3	Florida(3)	30-4	715
4	Auburn(1)	28-5	672
5	St. John's	30-4	643
6	Tennessee	27-7	634
7	Michigan State	27-6	568
8	Alabama	25-8	556
9	Texas Tech	25-8	498
10	Wisconsin	26-9	445
11	Louisville	27-7	426
12	Maryland	25-8	401
13	Clemson	27-6	378
14	Iowa State	24-9	361
15	Michigan	25-9	329
16	Memphis	29-5	272
17	BYU	24-9	235
18	Texas A&M	22-10	233
19	Saint Mary's	28-5	209
20	Arizona	22-12	177
21	Kentucky	22-11	164
22	Purdue	22-11	154
23	Gonzaga	25-8	93
24	Missouri	22-11	90
25	Marquette	23-10	68

Schools Dropped OutNo. 25 Illinois

Others Receiving Votes

Drake 46; UC San Diego 37; Oregon 35; VCU 33; Creighton 33; Illinois 27; Kansas 16; UConn 12; Baylor 7; Colorado State 6; UCLA 3; Ole Miss 2; Vanderbilt 1; North Carolina 1

Next up for Florida​

The Orange and Blue open up the Big Dance with a matchup against the No. 16-seed Norfolk State Spartans, who earned an automatic qualifier by seizing the MEAC Tournament title, on Friday, March 21, in Raleigh, North Carolina. Tipoff time is slated for 6:50 p.m. ET and the game will broadcast nationally on TNT.

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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll ahead of NCAA Tournament's March Madness

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