New poll is out: Kentucky will face a top-10 team in North Carolina
Kentucky will be ranked No. 19 and North Carolina No. 9 when the teams collide Saturday in Chicago in the annual CBS Sports Classic.
Kentucky stood still but North Carolina moved up in this week’s Associated Press men’s college basketball poll, which was released Monday afternoon.
Kentucky (8-2) played only one game last week, an 88-61 victory over Utah in Rupp Arena. The Cats were ranked No. 19 last week and held that same position this week.
North Carolina (8-2) also had only one game but it was a big one. The Tar Heels, who were ranked No. 12 last week, knocked off then-No. 4 Gonzaga 103-90 in Chapel Hill, N.C., on Saturday.
Kansas (9-0) remained No. 1 in the rankings for the second week in a row. Duke (9-1), Tennessee (8-1), Michigan (11-0) and Virginia (9-0) also received first-place votes and rounded out the top five.
Kentucky and North Carolina meet at 5:15 p.m. Saturday at the United Center in Chicago. The game will be televised nationally on CBS.
The Cats and Tar Heels will be meeting for the 40th time, a series North Carolina leads 24-15.
The teams’ most recent meeting was March 26, 2017, in Memphis, Tenn., when North Carolina beat Kentucky 65-62 on a buzzer-beating three-pointer by Luke Maye in the NCAA Tournament South Regional finals.
Next game
No. 19 Kentucky vs. No. 9 North Carolina
What: CBS Sports Classic
When: 5:15 p.m. Saturday
Where: United Center in Chicago
TV: CBS-27
This week’s AP poll
The top 25 teams in The Associated Press’ men’s college basketball poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, records through Dec. 16, 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. Kansas (56) | 9-0 | 1,586 | 1 |
2. Duke (5) | 9-1 | 1,488 | 2 |
3. Tennessee (2) | 8-1 | 1,464 | 3 |
4. Michigan (1) | 11-0 | 1,442 | 5 |
5. Virginia (1) | 9-0 | 1,400 | 6 |
6. Nevada | 11-0 | 1,319 | 7 |
7. Auburn | 9-1 | 1,156 | 8 |
8. Gonzaga | 9-2 | 1,147 | 4 |
9. North Carolina | 8-2 | 1,126 | 12 |
10. Michigan St. | 9-2 | 1,070 | 9 |
11. Florida St. | 8-1 | 949 | 10 |
12. Texas Tech | 10-0 | 912 | 11 |
13. Virginia Tech | 9-1 | 838 | 13 |
14. Buffalo | 10-0 | 684 | 14 |
15. Ohio St. | 9-1 | 647 | 15 |
16. Wisconsin | 9-2 | 619 | 16 |
17. Mississippi St. | 9-1 | 529 | 18 |
18. Arizona St | 8-1 | 415 | 20 |
19. Kentucky | 8-2 | 377 | 19 |
20. Marquette | 8-2 | 350 | 21 |
21. Houston | 10-0 | 266 | 24 |
22. Indiana | 9-2 | 226 | 25 |
23. Iowa | 8-2 | 224 | 22 |
24. Furman | 12-0 | 208 | 23 |
25. Nebraska | 9-2 | 156 | - |
Others receiving votes: Oklahoma 115, Maryland 103, Kansas St 90, St. John’s 59, Villanova 52, N.C. State 38, Purdue 20, TCU 17, Iowa St. 9, Cincinnati 7, Louisville 6, Minnesota 3, Florida 3, Belmont 2, San Francisco 2, NJIT 1.
This story was originally published December 17, 2018 at 12:46 PM.