The new college basketball rankings are out. It’ll be a unique week for Kentucky
The Kentucky men’s basketball team doesn’t need to look at the new Associated Press Top 25 rankings to know this will be a big week for the 2025-26 schedule.
But, for anyone else who needs a reminder, the updated AP poll was released Monday afternoon, and it shows Mark Pope’s team playing two ranked teams over the next five days.
First, the Wildcats, who ended up rising one spot to No. 18 in the new rankings, will host No. 16 North Carolina on Tuesday night in Rupp Arena, the third installment of the ACC/SEC Challenge. That game is set for 9:30 p.m. EST on ESPN.
Then, the Cats will travel to Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee, which is expected to be packed with UK fans for a matchup with No. 11 Gonzaga on Friday night. That one is scheduled for 7 p.m. on ESPN2.
December has traditionally been a time for Kentucky to play marquee nonconference opponents, but this will be a doozy even by those standards. It’s the first instance since 1998 of the Wildcats playing two ranked teams in the same calendar week during December. UK beat No. 11 Indiana and No. 2 Maryland in the same week that year, which was Tubby Smith’s second as the program’s head coach.
This, of course, is Pope’s second season in charge of the Wildcats, and he’s still looking for his first marquee victory of the 2025-26 campaign. Kentucky is off to a 5-2 start, but all of its wins so far have come against overmatched, mid-major opposition.
The Cats’ two losses have been clear ones. Louisville beat Kentucky 96-88 in the Yum Center on Nov. 11 in a game that the Cards led by as many as 20 points in the second half. Michigan State then defeated UK 83-66 in Madison Square Garden on Nov. 18, decimating Pope’s team in the Champions Classic, a result that led to lots of questions over his current roster.
Louisville (7-0) is No. 6 in the new rankings and also has a big week coming up. The Cardinals will play at No. 25 Arkansas in the ACC/SEC Challenge on Wednesday night before a game against No. 22 Indiana in Indianapolis on Saturday.
Michigan State (7-0) is No. 7 in the updated poll. The Spartans handed North Carolina its first loss of the season — a 74-58 decision on Thanksgiving — and they’ll tip off Big Ten play against Iowa on Tuesday night before a battle with No. 4 Duke in East Lansing on Saturday.
New Top 25 men’s basketball rankings
The Purdue Boilermakers — the team UK beat in its exhibition opener Oct. 24 — remains undefeated in the regular season, and they also retained their spot at the top of the new rankings.
Arizona was next at No. 2 in the updated AP poll, with No. 3 Michigan, No. 4 Duke and No. 5 UConn rounding out the top five. The rest of the top 10 consists of No. 6 Louisville, No. 7 Michigan State, No. 8 Houston, No. 9 BYU and No. 10 Iowa State.
Gonzaga moved up one spot to No. 11 in the rankings Monday, despite a 40-point loss to Michigan last week. The Zags did beat Alabama 95-85 and Maryland 100-61 last week. They’re followed by No. 12 Alabama, No. 13 Tennessee, No. 14 Illinois, No. 15 Florida, No. 16 North Carolina, No. 17 Vanderbilt, No. 18 Kentucky, No. 19 Texas Tech, No. 20 Auburn, No. 21 Kansas, No. 22 Indiana, No. 23 St. John’s, No. 24 Southern Cal and No. 25 Arkansas. After this week, Kentucky will play two more December games against teams in the current Top 25, with No. 22 Indiana coming to Rupp Arena on Dec. 13 and the Cats set to meet No. 23 St. John’s in the CBS Sports Classic in Atlanta on Dec. 20.
This story was originally published December 1, 2025 at 1:12 PM.
