There's a long way to go between now and the NCAA Tournament next March, but on paper, there's a clear hierarchy in college basketball.
It's Duke, Florida, and then everyone else. The Blue Devils and Gators have surged ahead of the field.
Todd Golden and Florida are typically the No. 1 team in the country in way-too-early polls. That's true of Jeff Borzello's latest on ESPN. Duke comes in at No. 2 in most, though the consensus is that it's more of a 1A and 1B thing.
Vegas tends to agree. For a while, Florida was the betting favorite to win the national title in 2027. Not anymore. Per FanDuel's updated odds as of Tuesday, the Blue Devils and Gators have identical title odds at +600. A good indicator of the gap between Duke and Florida and the rest of the field is that the next closest odds are more than double. UConn and Illinois are tied for third at +1300.
Duke and Florida may be on a collision course for the National Championship
The good news for college basketball fans is that Duke and Florida will meet in the regular season in what could be a National Championship Game preview. The Blue Devils will travel to Gainesville to face the Gators on December 1st as part of the SEC/ACC Challenge. It'll be the second straight year the two have met in the regular season, with Isaiah Evans' clutch three lifting Duke to the win over Florida in Cameron last December.
Duke might be the only team in the country that can match up with Florida's elite frontcourt. The Gators' returning Thomas Haugh, Alex Condon, and Rueben Chinyelu are the biggest reason why everyone is so high on them in 2026-27. Denzel Aberdeen's re-addition should help solidify a backcourt that lagged behind last season.
But Duke should have an elite frontcourt of its own. With Patrick Ngongba II back for his junior season, the Blue Devils will pair an elite 5-star freshman with him in the starting lineup with either Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje or Cameron Williams. The arrival of JBB will give Jon Scheyer some versatility in his lineups, too, which could, in certain situations, allow Williams to play the three, giving Duke a supersized frontcourt that can match up with Golden.
It could be the backcourt play that swings the matchup in Duke's favor. Even with Aberdeen back in Gainesville, Duke returns Caleb Foster and Cayden Boozer from last season and added star Wisconsin transfer John Blackwell and 5-star Deron Rippey Jr. to the mix. That's not to mention Dame Sarr on the wing, who could be in for a major leap forward.
Duke might be the only team in the country that has a matchup advantage over Florida. There's also no deeper team in the country than what resides in Durham, either. This might be Scheyer's best team to date, and it could be the one that ultimately snaps the national title drought.
Betting odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.Â
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