Kentucky women continue steady rise in poll, giving UK teams a rare distinction
Kentucky is one of three Southeastern Conference teams still unbeaten in league play, and Associated Press women’s college basketball top 25 voters paid their respects in the Week 11 rankings.
After earning wins against Florida on the road and Auburn at home by a combined margin of 35 points, the Wildcats (15-1, 4-0 SEC) vaulted three spots to No. 12 — their highest ranking of the season, and the program’s highest since the 2021-22 season, during which Kentucky peaked at No. 13 in the preseason.
Monday’s poll reveals also meant that Kentucky is the only Division I school currently ranked within the top 12 of both the women’s and men’s AP top 25; The UK men checked in this week at No. 8.
Fellow undefeated conference members, No. 2 South Carolina (16-1, 4-0) and No. 5 LSU (18-0, 3-0), plus No. 7 Texas (16-2, 3-1), remained in the top 10 this week. The Tigers moved up one spot in the wake of the Gamecocks’ rout of the Longhorns on Sunday, a dominant, 67-50 shutdown in Columbia. However, Texas’ emphatic victory over still-ranked Alabama on Thursday ensured its continued residence in the top 10, despite falling two spots. South Carolina remains at No. 2 behind undefeated UCLA (16-0, 5-0 Big Ten); the Bruins beat the Gamecocks in Los Angeles at the end of November, ending South Carolina’s 43-game winning streak.
That said, this week’s top 10 is as follows — No. 1 UCLA, No. 2 South Carolina, No. 3 Notre Dame, No. 4 Southern California, No. 5 LSU, No. 6 Connecticut, No. 7 Texas, No. 8 Maryland, No. 9 Ohio State and No. 10 TCU.
No. 13 Oklahoma (14-3, 2-2) fell three spots after losing to Mississippi State 81-77 in Starkville on Thursday and beating Texas A&M 77-62 at home. This marks the first week Kentucky is ranked ahead of the Sooners. No. 15 Tennessee (14-2, 2-2) improved one spot after losing 89-87 on a buzzer beater to LSU and beating Arkansas 93-63 in Fayetteville. No. 19 Alabama (16-2, 3-1) dropped one spot after losing 84-40 to Texas in Austin and beating Ole Miss 84-78 in Oxford.
Mississippi State (15-3, 2-2), Ole Miss (11-5, 2-2) and Vanderbilt (14-3, 1-2) each received top 25 votes.
Iowa and Michigan fell out of the top 25 after suffering multiple losses each against loaded Big Ten competition. Fellow Big Ten member Minnesota, and rising Big 12 squad Oklahoma State each checked into the top 25 for the first time in years, tying for the final spot at No. 24.
NET rankings update
As with the AP Top 25, Kentucky moved up in the NCAA NET rankings.
The Wildcats, who checked in at No. 23 on Jan. 6, have improved to No. 17. One week ago, Florida (11-7, 2-2) ranked No. 47 and Auburn (9-8, 0-4) was No. 54. The Gators still sit at No. 47, while the Tigers now rank No. 57. Kentucky’s sole opponent in the week ahead, Georgia (9-9, 1-3), ranks at a conference-low No. 136.
The Wildcats are one of eight SEC teams in the NET’s top 20. No. 1 South Carolina, No. 2 Texas and No. 9 LSU remain in the top 10, alongside No. 3 Connecticut, No. 4 UCLA, No. 5 Kansas State, No. 6 Southern California, No. 7 Notre Dame, No. 8 TCU and No. 10 Duke.
No. 12 Oklahoma, No. 15 Ole Miss, No. 16 Tennessee and No. 18 Alabama join South Carolina, Texas, LSU and Kentucky in the top 20, while No. 23 Vanderbilt, No. 32 Mississippi State and Florida round out the conference’s top 50 showing.
No. 72 Texas A&M (8-8, 1-3) and No. 74 Missouri (11-8, 0-4) each rank in the NET’s top 75, while No. 133 Arkansas (8-11, 1-3) joins Georgia outside the top 100.
Next game
No. 12 Kentucky at Georgia
When: 2 p.m. Sunday
TV: SEC Network+
Radio: WLAP-AM 630
Records: Kentucky 15-1 (4-0 SEC), Georgia 9-9 (1-3)
Series: Georgia leads 41-23
Last meeting: UK won 64-50 in Greenville, S.C., on March 6, 2024, in the first round of the SEC Tournament
This story was originally published January 13, 2025 at 2:27 PM.
