Big win puts Kentucky back in the AP Top 25
Kentucky’s absence from The Associated Press Top 25 poll lasted just one week after the Cats’ dramatic win over West Virginia in Morgantown on Saturday.
The Cats climbed from “others receiving votes” to No. 21 in the weekly survey of media members, while the Mountaineers fell from No. 7 to No. 15 in the rankings released Monday. Last week marked the first time in four years UK was not in the poll.
Kentucky (16-5, 5-3) is in a three-way tie for third in the Southeastern Conference standings with two other teams that helped the SEC to a 6-4 record in the Big 12/SEC Challenge on Saturday. No. 18 Tennessee clobbered Iowa State at home and Alabama toppled then-No. 12 Oklahoma in Tuscaloosa. Also in this week’s Top 25 from the SEC are No. 11 Auburn and No. 23 Florida.
The Cats next face last-place Vanderbilt (8-13, 2-6) at 9 p.m. Tuesday in Rupp Arena.
No. 2 Virginia has pulled closer to its first No. 1 ranking in 35 years. The Cavaliers received 17 of 65 first-place votes. Villanova remained No. 1 for the fourth straight week, receiving 47 first-place votes.
Virginia shut down one of the nation’s top offenses in a 65-63 win over Duke on Saturday and held No. 18 Clemson to 36 points.
Purdue remained at No. 3, and No. 4 Duke held its spot despite the loss to Virginia. Michigan State moved up a spot to round out the top five.
The AP Top Twenty Five
The top 25 teams in The Associated Press’ men’s college basketball poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, records through Jan. 28, total points based on 25 points for a first-place vote through one point for a 25th-place vote and last week’s ranking:
Record | Pts | Pvs | |
1. Villanova (47) | 20-1 | 1,607 | 1 |
2. Virginia (17) | 20-1 | 1,572 | 2 |
3. Purdue (1) | 21-2 | 1,501 | 3 |
4. Duke | 18-3 | 1,372 | 4 |
5. Michigan St. | 20-3 | 1,347 | 6 |
6. Xavier | 19-3 | 1,278 | 8 |
7. Kansas | 17-4 | 1,224 | 5 |
8. Cincinnati | 19-2 | 1,208 | 9 |
9. Arizona | 18-4 | 1,103 | 11 |
10. Texas Tech | 17-4 | 987 | 14 |
11. Auburn | 19-2 | 882 | 19 |
12. Oklahoma | 15-5 | 840 | 12 |
13. Saint Mary’s (Calif.) | 21-2 | 753 | 16 |
14. Gonzaga | 19-4 | 750 | 15 |
15. West Virginia | 16-5 | 709 | 7 |
16. Wichita St. | 17-4 | 635 | 17 |
17. Ohio St. | 18-5 | 566 | 13 |
18. Tennessee | 15-5 | 512 | 22 |
19. North Carolina | 16-6 | 470 | 10 |
20. Clemson | 17-4 | 414 | 18 |
21. Kentucky | 16-5 | 344 | — |
22. Rhode Island | 17-3 | 327 | 24 |
23. Florida | 15-6 | 172 | 20 |
24. Michigan | 17-6 | 103 | 25 |
25. Arizona St. | 16-5 | 100 | 21 |
Others receiving votes: Kansas St. 94, Florida St. 76, Nevada 41, Louisville 39, Creighton 33, Seton Hall 16, Miami 12, TCU 11, Houston 8, Alabama 6, New Mexico St. 5, N.C. State 5, Southern Cal 3.
This story was originally published January 29, 2018 at 12:17 PM with the headline "Big win puts Kentucky back in the AP Top 25."