The Kentucky Wildcats finally earned the statement win they were looking for, an 87-83 victory over North Carolina in the CBS Sports Classic. And the voters were clearly impressed.
Kentucky jumped five spots up to No. 9 in the latest AP Poll, the biggest riser in college basketball this week. That’s good for No. 2 in the SEC, right behind Tennessee (No. 8). Ole Miss is the conference’s only other representative, coming in at No. 25 overall, while Auburn, Texas A&M, Alabama, South Carolina and Mississippi State all received votes.
As for previous and future opponents, Kansas sits at No. 2, followed by North Carolina at No. 11 and Gonzaga at No. 15. Saint Joseph’s, whom Kentucky defeated 96-88 back in November, is now receiving votes, as well.
AP Poll
| RANK | TEAM | RECORD | TREND | POINTS |
| 1 | Purdue | 10-1 | ⬆️ 2 | 1534 (48) |
| 2 | Kansas | 10-1 | — | 1457 (6) |
| 3 | Houston | 11-0 | ⬆️ 1 | 1394 (8) |
| 4 | Arizona | 8-1 | ⬇️ 3 | 1372 |
| 5 | UConn | 10-1 | — | 1367 |
| 6 | Marquette | 9-2 | ⬆️ 1 | 1235 |
| 7 | Oklahoma | 10-0 | ⬆️ 4 | 1062 |
| 8 | Tennessee | 8-3 | ⬆️ 4 | 983 |
| 9 | Kentucky | 8-2 | ⬆️ 5 | 981 |
| 10 | Baylor | 9-1 | ⬇️ 4 | 896 |
| 11 | North Carolina | 7-3 | ⬇️ 2 | 773 |
| 12 | Creighton | 9-2 | ⬇️ 4 | 734 |
| 13 | Illinois | 8-2 | ⬆️ 3 | 727 |
| 14 | Florida Atlantic | 9-2 | ⬆️ 1 | 716 |
| 15 | Gonzaga | 8-3 | ⬇️ 5 | 642 |
| 16 | Colorado State | 10-1 | ⬆️ 1 | 588 |
| 17 | BYU | 10-1 | ⬆️ 1 | 569 |
| 18 | Clemson | 9-1 | ⬇️ 5 | 501 |
| 19 | Texas | 8-2 | — | 449 |
| 20 | James Madison | 10-0 | — | 442 |
| 21 | Duke | 7-3 | — | 311 |
| 22 | Virginia | 9-1 | — | 287 |
| 23 | Memphis | 8-2 | — | 274 |
| 24 | Wisconsin | 8-3 | ⬇️ 1 | 269 |
| 25 | Ole Miss | 10-0 | — | 180 |
Others Receiving Votes: Miami 97, Auburn 87, Colorado 84, Utah 37, Iowa St. 24, Ohio St. 12, Michigan St. 10, TCU 10, Texas A&M 9, San Diego St. 8, Northwestern 5, Providence 5, Alabama 3, Dayton 3, Nevada 3, New Mexico 2, Grand Canyon 2, Washington 2, Saint Joseph’s 2, South Carolina 1, Mississippi St. 1.
Coaches Poll
| RK |
TEAM
|
REC | PTS |
TREND
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Purdue(20)
|
10-1 | 785 |
⬆️3
|
| 2 |
Kansas(3)
|
10-1 | 750 |
–
|
| 3 |
Houston(9)
|
11-0 | 732 |
–
|
| 4 |
Arizona
|
8-1 | 707 |
⬇️3
|
| 5 |
UConn
|
10-1 | 704 |
–
|
| 6 |
Marquette
|
9-2 | 628 |
⬆️1
|
| 7 |
Tennessee
|
8-3 | 541 |
⬆️3
|
| 8 |
Oklahoma
|
10-0 | 533 |
⬆️4
|
| 9 |
Kentucky
|
8-2 | 485 |
⬆️6
|
| 10 |
Baylor
|
9-1 | 431 |
⬇️4
|
| 11 |
Illinois
|
8-2 | 422 |
⬆️5
|
| 12 |
Florida Atlantic
|
9-2 | 403 |
⬆️2
|
| 13 |
North Carolina
|
7-3 | 371 |
⬇️4
|
| 14 |
Creighton
|
9-2 | 354 |
⬇️6
|
| 15 |
BYU
|
10-1 | 332 |
⬆️2
|
| 16 |
Gonzaga
|
8-3 | 307 |
⬇️3
|
| 17 |
Colorado State
|
10-1 | 264 |
⬆️1
|
| 18 |
Clemson
|
9-1 | 254 |
⬇️7
|
| 19 |
Duke
|
7-3 | 211 |
–
|
| 20 |
Virginia
|
9-1 | 184 |
⬆️1
|
| 21 |
James Madison
|
10-0 | 165 |
⬇️1
|
| 22 |
Texas
|
8-2 | 156 |
–
|
| 23 |
Memphis
|
8-2 | 146 |
⬆️3
|
| 24 |
Wisconsin
|
8-3 | 141 |
⬇️1
|
| 25 |
Ole Miss
|
10-0 | 132 |
–
|
Dropped from rankings: Miami 24
Walter Cornett, of Glendale, Kentucky, is the owner and operator of Walter’s Wildcat World. He founded WildcatWorld.com in 1998 making it one of the oldest Kentucky basketball fan sites in operation today.
Next Game
Kentucky vs Colgate (On time)
