Kentucky basketball takes a tumble in Top 25 poll after loss to Richmond

Following Sunday’s double-digit loss to Richmond, Kentucky dropped to 20th in this week’s Associated Press Top 25 poll, which was released Monday.

The Cats (1-1) opened the season at No. 10 and defeated 81-45 in their opener this past Wednesday. A veteran Richmond squad proved to be a much tougher opponent as the Spiders, previously unranked but now 19th, prevailed 76-64.

Kentucky has been playing without sophomore forward Keion Brooks, who has been sidelined by a leg injury. UK Coach John Calipari said Monday during his Zoom news conference that it might be two to three more weeks before Brooks returns. “The docs just want him to take make time,” Calipari said.

Up next for UK is Kansas in the Champions Classic in Indianapolis on Tuesday night. The Jayhawks (1-1) opened the season at No. 6 and fell one spot to seventh after a 102-90 loss to No. 1 Gonzaga and a 94-72 victory against Saint Joseph’s.

Kansas was ranked for the 222nd consecutive week, breaking UCLA’s all-time record set from 1966-80. No. 6 Duke has the second-longest active poll streak at 85 straight weeks.

Gonzaga (2-0) remained at No. 1 in this week’s poll, followed by Baylor, Iowa, Wisconsin and Illinois in the top five. The Zags received 57 first-place votes from a 63-person media panel. The other six first-place votes went to Baylor.

The Illini are in the top five for the first time since reaching No. 1 in 2004-05.

Iowa has its highest ranking since the 2015-16 team reached No. 3, and Luka Garza has a lot to do with that.

The preseason All-American kicked off his senior season with 26 points and 10 rebounds in a win over North Carolina Central, then scored 41 points on 14-of-15 shooting in a rout over Southern.

“Whenever I get the ball, I feel like I can score,” Garza said. “Sometimes you have those days where you’re just making shots. I put enough work into each shot that when I put it up, I have a strong feeling that it’s going to go in.”

UK wasn’t the only team with a steep decline in this week’s rankings. Villanova fell from third to 12th and Virginia dropped from fourth to 15th.

Louisville is unranked and fourth among others receiving votes.

UK women 11th

The top 11 teams in the women’s AP Top 25 remained that same this week. That included South Carolina at No. 1, Louisville at No. 5 and Kentucky at No. 11.

The Cats (2-0) have started the season with convincing wins against Murray State (86-60) and Belmont (70-50).

They have a tougher week ahead with a road trip to Kansas State on Thursday and a home game against No. 13 Indiana on Sunday.

The Hoosiers (1-0), who moved up three spots this week, got 17 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists from former Sacred Heart star Grace Berger and six points and six assists from ex-Butler High School standout Jaelynn Penn in their season-opening, 100-51 win against Eastern Kentucky.

Men’s AP Top 25

Others receiving votes: Michigan 90, San Diego State 86, Saint Louis 69, Louisville 55, Alabama 52, Florida 45, Indiana 38, UCLA 14, Maryland 9, Providence 7, Stanford 7, Connecticut 6, Clemson 4, LSU 3, Arkansas 2, Loyola (Ill.) 1, TCU 1, Colorado 1, Brigham Young 1.

Women’s AP Top 25

Others receiving votes: South Dakota State 31, North Carolina 24, South Dakota 20, Notre Dame 20, Arizona State 10, Wake Forest 9, Ohio 6, South Florida 1, Boston College 1, Tennessee 1, Rutgers 1, Duke 1.

This story was originally published November 30, 2020 at 12:02 PM.