Four-game win streak has Kentucky basketball back in the AP’s top 10

Kentucky’s men’s basketball team returned to the top 10 — at No. 10 — in this week’s Associated Press Top 25 poll, which was released on Monday afternoon.

UK (20-5, 10-2 SEC) is on a four-game winning steak and has taken sole possession of first place in the league standings after a pair of wins last week. The Cats defeated Vanderbilt 78-64 in Nashville on Tuesday and Mississippi 67-62 at home on Saturday.

This week, UK (also ranked 10th by USA Today coaches’ poll) plays at LSU at 9 p.m. Tuesday and at home against Florida at 6 p.m. Saturday. The Tigers were ranked 25th last week but dropped out of the top 25 this week.

Baylor and Kansas just keep winning, setting up a monumental showdown Saturday between the top-ranked Bears and No. 3 Jayhawks that could help decide not only the Big 12 title but the No. 1 overall seed for the NCAA Tournament.

The two teams were separated once again by Gonzaga in the latest poll. The Bears (23-1) had 48 first-place votes from the 63-member media panel, while the Bulldogs (26-1) had 14 first-place nods and the Jayhawks (22-3) had the only remaining first-place vote.

The Bears and Jayhawks both have business to handle before they collide on Saturday, though. Kansas got a visit from Iowa State to Allen Fieldhouse on Monday night while Baylor will be visiting Oklahoma on Tuesday night.

San Diego State (26-0) remained the nation’s last unbeaten team and was No. 4 in the latest poll, while Dayton (23-2) climbed one spot to fifth after wins over Rhode Island and Massachusetts and a rough week for then-No. 5 Louisville.

The Cardinals lost to Georgia Tech and Clemson to plummet all the way to No. 11, but they weren’t the only ranked team to lose to an unranked foe on Saturday. Auburn fell at Missouri, Seton Hall lost to Providence, Butler lost at Georgetown, Illinois lost at Rutgers, Houston fell at SMU, Texas Tech fell at Oklahoma State and LSU was beaten on the road by Alabama.

Throw in then-No. 14 West Virginia’s loss to Baylor and nine ranked teams were beaten. Eight lost to unranked opponents, the most in a single day this season.

“This week wasn’t a good week for us,” Louisville Coach Chris Mack said. “The teams we’re playing are too together and we’re not right now. It’s unfortunate, but it happens sometimes and my job is to keep our team on course and get better.”

Gaining ground

Kentucky’s women’s team (19-5), coming off a big win Sunday against then-No. 6 Mississippi State, moved up four spots to 14th this week in the women’s Associated Press Top 25.

South Carolina remained at No. 1, followed by Baylor, Oregon, Stanford and Louisville (23-3). Mississippi State fell to ninth.

UConn’s record streak of top five appearances in AP women’s poll is over.

The Huskies fell to sixth, ending a run of 253 consecutive weeks as one of the first five teams in the Top 25. That historic stretch dated back to Feb. 5, 2007. Connecticut’s run dwarfs the No. 2 all-time mark of 96 set by Louisiana Tech in the 1980s.

The longest current streak is now held by No. 1 South Carolina at 11.

Men’s AP top 25

The top 25 teams in The Associated Press’ college basketball poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, records through Feb. 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:

Others receiving votes: Texas Tech 92, Michigan St. 87, Michigan 83, LSU 55, Rhode Island 39, Virginia 32, Cincinnati 14, Stephen F. Austin 14, Illinois 12, N. Iowa 9, Utah St. 8, Florida 6, Rutgers 6, ETSU 5, Saint Mary’s (Calif.) 4, Richmond 3, Tulsa 3, New Mexico St. 2, SMU 2, Arizona St 1, Wright St. 1.

Women’s AP top 25

The top 25 teams in The Associated Press’ women’s college basketball poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, records through Feb. 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:

Others receiving votes: TCU 30, Florida Gulf Coast 15, LSU 6, Tennessee 5, Cent. Michigan 3, Stony Brook 3, Fresno St. 2.

This story was originally published February 17, 2020 at 12:20 PM.