The Florida Gators (12-4) continued their tumble Monday in the AP Top 25 NCAA Basketball poll, dropping to No. 19 after their second loss to an unranked opponent in just over a week. The Gators, who entered the season ranked No. 8 and climbed to as high as No. 7, haven't ranked this low since Jan. 31, 2011, when they fell out of the Top 25 altogether.
Indeed, Saturday's 67-56 loss to the Tennessee Volunteers proved costly for Florida, which had recovered from an earlier loss to the unranked Rutgers Scarlet Knights with two straight victories. Against the Vols, Florida shot just 35.7 percent from the floor and 7-of-22 from three-point territory, but yielded 51 percent shooting to Tennessee, which had four players score in double digits.
Elsewhere in the rankings, the undefeated Syracuse Orange (17-0) claim the No. 1 spot for the fifth consecutive week. The Kentucky Wildcats (No. 2, 15-1), North Carolina Tar Heels (No. 3, 14-2), Baylor Bears (No. 4, 15-0), and Ohio St. Buckeyes (No. 5, 15-2) round out the top five. Kentucky and the Mississippi St. Bulldogs (No. 20, 13-3) are the only SEC teams besides Florida represented in Monday's poll.
For more on the Gators, please visit Alligator Army, SB Nation's UF blog.