UK women stay put in AP poll. Three games left before SEC play begins.

The University of Kentucky women’s basketball team has only three games remaining before Southeastern Conference plays begins and is a heavy favorite to win all three.

If the Wildcats take care of business, they’ll enter league play with a 13-1 record and a national ranking.

Kentucky (10-1) was ranked No. 18 for the second week in a row in The Associated Press Top 25 media poll released Monday.

UK didn’t have much chance to move the needle with only one game last week, but whipped Middle Tennessee State 72-55 in that one.

The Cats begin their three-game stretch to close out non-conference play Tuesday night when they take on Western Carolina (2-8) in Memorial Coliseum. After that contest comes home games against Murray State (4-4) on Friday and Sacred Heart (4-5) on Dec. 29. UK opens SEC play Jan. 3 at home against Vanderbilt.

Kentucky was accompanied in this week’s AP poll by four other SEC teams: No. 4 Mississippi State, No. 9 Tennessee, No. 23 Texas A&M and No. 25 South Carolina.

No. 1 UConn did not play last week and remains No. 1. No. 2 Notre Dame hosts Western Kentucky on Wednesday. No. 3 Louisville is the only team to beat Kentucky this season. Mississippi State and Maryland completed this week’s top five.

In Western Carolina on Tuesday, Kentucky will be facing a program it has never met as a member of the NCAA. UK’s last meeting with the Catamounts came during the 1973-74 season in the AIAW Southern Region II Tournament. Western Carolina won 57-46.