Florida slid to No. 19 on Monday following the 76-67 home loss to Auburn in a week full of drastic shifts for the top teams in college basketball. The drop was expected as the Gators entered Saturday\u2019s contest as 11.5-point favorites and had not lost a game to Auburn in the O\u2019Connell Center since 1996.<\/p>\n
\u201cFlorida is still my highest-ranked SEC team on my ballot,\u201d said Associated Press poll voter and Whole Hog Sports reporter Anthony Kristensen. \u201cI think it\u2019s probably a fair reflection of the result just because they did lose a home game.\u201d<\/p>\n
However, plenty of other teams, whether they directly impact Florida or not, experienced shifts this week.<\/p>\n
No. 12 Purdue<\/p>\n
An eight-spot slide from the Boilermakers was the biggest drop of Week 12, taking them from the No. 4 slot and booting them out of the top 10 and then some.<\/p>\n
Purdue\u2019s decline was a direct result of its 88-82 loss against Illinois on Saturday. The Boilermakers were 17-2 before facing the Fighting Illini and had only one conference loss. However, they clocked a second Saturday night, which pushed them below Illinois in the Big Ten.<\/p>\n
\u201cPurdue right now is really at a crossroads as far as what their season is going to be,\u201d said Shawn O\u2019Neal, the senior editor for Lindy\u2019s Preseason College Basketball Magazine. \u201cVoters are reacting to the health of Braden Smith and Trey Kaufman-Renn. That\u2019s maybe the best one-two punch of upperclassmen in America.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Fighting Illini were ranked No. 11 coming into the matchup and were boosted to No. 9 this week. They sit at 17-3 and 8-1 in conference.<\/p>\n
Purdue has a few unranked matchups in the near future to make up some ground before it faces three top-10 opponents before the end of February.<\/p>\n
No. 15 Arkansas<\/p>\n
Up five spots from No. 20, the Razorbacks are now the top-ranked team in the Southeastern Conference. The jump followed a big ranked win against then-No. 15 Vanderbilt last Tuesday and a second win against LSU on Saturday.<\/p>\n
Like Florida, Arkansas sits at 5-2 in conference, but holds a 15-5 record. It also faced a tough non-conference schedule but has held up so far, falling to only one unranked opponent that has also bested the Gators, Auburn.<\/p>\n
As far as the top-25 teams that have the biggest impact on Florida, Arkansas is one opponent the Gators should keep an eye on.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s the only game on the schedule right now that Florida has against a team ranked ahead of it,\u201d Kristensen said. \u201cSo I think that\u2019s probably the biggest one.\u201d<\/p>\n
Florida faces Arkansas Feb. 28 at 8:30 at home.<\/p>\n
No. 23 Alabama<\/p>\n
Another one of Florida\u2019s upcoming matchups took a hit in this week\u2019s poll, with Alabama sliding six spots.<\/p>\n
O\u2019Neal said the drop was \u201ca little aggressive\u201d after the 79-73 loss to a solid Tennessee squad Saturday, but nonetheless, the Crimson Tide just hung on to the poll. They face a tough slate ahead, taking on Missouri before traveling to Gainesville to take on the Gators.<\/p>\n
O\u2019Neal noted both Florida and Alabama as SEC Championship contenders, so the matchup will be an important one.<\/p>\n
The Gators take on Alabama at 1 p.m. Sunday at home, but first, they see South Carolina on Wednesday at 9 p.m. on the road.<\/p>\n
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