Chinyelu, Condon and Haugh return with sole goal for No. 1 Florida: another national title

The Gators are favored to win it all in 2027, a result of returning four starters and nine of their top 11 scorers from last season. All-Southeastern Conference front-court selections Rueben Chinyelu, Alex Condon and Thomas Haugh turned down the NBA draft to chase a second national championship following a gut-wrenching loss to Iowa in the second round of the NCA Tournament in March. The trio played secondary roles to guards Walter Clayton, Alijah Martin and Will Richard in 2024-25, when Florida beat Houston in the title game to claim the program’s third crown. Now they’re the backbone of the country’s top rebounding team.

Point guard Boogie Fland also is back and will play alongside former Florida guard Denzel Aberdeen, who needed a court injunction to get a fifth year of eligibility. Aberdeen was a backup on Florida’s title team two years ago and spent last season at Kentucky, where he lost three times to his former – and now current -- teammates.

Chinyelu averaged 10.9 points and 11.2 rebounds last season, becoming the first Florida player in 50 years to average a double-double. The 6-foot-10, 265-pound Nigerian is a handful in the post and was named the national defensive player of the year.

Condon averaged 15.1 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.6 assists last season and was Florida’s best player down the stretch. The hard-nosed Australian finished with a team-leading 48 blocked shots.

Haugh led the team in scoring (17.1 points) and averaged 33.4 minutes a game with his tireless motor. He could be in for a heavier workload since backup CJ Ingram has missed considerable time in the preseason with a back injury.

Guard Xaivian Lee transferred to Gonzaga, and backup center Micah Handlogten landed at Ole Miss. The world’s tallest college basketball player, 7-foot-9 Olivier Rioux, also moved on and is starting at UC Irvine.

Florida opens the season against No. 14 Miami in Tampa, Florida, on Monday. It’s an intentional starting spot because that’s where the Gators’ season ended in March. Coach Todd Golden’s guys also play at Florida State, could face No. 10 Houston and No. 17 Kansas in Las Vegas, and have a home game against second-ranked Duke on Dec. 1 in the SEC/ACC Challenge. The SEC opener is Jan. 2 at No. 7 Texas.

Golden signed a third contract extension in as many years in August. He will make $7.5 million this season. … The Gators lost their second of three exhibitions, falling in overtime to Baylor in Jacksonville, Florida. They missed 25 of 29 3-pointers and 13 free throws.

Sign up for Top 25 poll alerts here , visit the Top 25 here and see AP’s full men’s basketball coverage here