Kentucky is a top-10 team: Wildcats rise in AP poll after upsetting LSU
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Kentucky rose to No. 6 after wins at LSU and over Missouri, signaling momentum.
- Tonie Morgan hit a buzzer 3, 42 points and 26 assists across two games.
- Teonni Key suffered a dislocated elbow; Kentucky faces Alabama then Oklahoma.
Kenny Brooks and the Kentucky Wildcats have broken into the top 10 in this week’s women’s basketball Associated Press Top 25.
After an 80-78 victory at LSU and a 74-52 win against Missouri, Kentucky (15-1) has improved five spots to No. 6.
It is incredibly fun to watch a player develop into a star over the course of a season, to see a player gradually progresses within their role to the point that they’re able to take over a game.
Anybody plugged into ACC basketball the past few years will tell you that Tonie Morgan was already a star, a skilled point guard capable of meeting the moment despite often facing more talented, higher-ceiling teams for much of Georgia Tech’s conference slate.
Morgan spent the summer working with Brooks and her new Kentucky teammates and clearly made sense within the system; it simply took a bit of time for Morgan to find her groove, establish chemistry and get comfortable as a regular scoring option.
And Morgan picked a good time — given that UK’s conference schedule began with a road game at then-No. 5 LSU — to come alive in a new system.
With consecutive double-double performances against both LSU and Missouri, last week truly was the Week of Tonie Morgan.
If you didn’t get to see it live, you’ve likely seen online the clip of Morgan’s buzzer-beating 3-pointer to lead the Wildcats out of Baton Rouge with an upset victory.
But you may have missed that the senior made each of her three attempts from beyond the arc — Morgan had only made 8 of her 24 long-range attempts on the season through nonconference play — or that she dropped a team-high 24 points on 70% shooting from the field; or that she dished 12 assists without a turnover.
In Kentucky’s 74-52 win over Missouri on Sunday, Morgan recorded 18 points, two rebounds, 14 assists, a steal, a block and three turnovers.
Against LSU, the Wildcats also got big minutes from senior forward Teonni Key, who delivered 17 points, 16 rebounds and a steal in 39 minutes. Key was crucial in the victory, pulling in more rebounds than any of the Tigers’ post players combined.
Despite the top-five upset, one of the bigger takeaways from Kentucky’s first week of conference play is a negative one — Key sustained a dislocated elbow during the third quarter of the Missouri game. More information to come.
Kentucky will next travel to Tuscaloosa for a Thursday night game against Alabama before hosting Oklahoma in a top-10 battle Sunday.
Just like in every other week this season, the Wildcats are one of eight SEC teams ranked in the Top 25. No. 2 Texas (17-0) and No. 3 South Carolina (15-1) remain in the same position as the poll’s last iteration.
No. 5 Oklahoma (14-1) jumped three spots, marking the Sooners’ highest mark since they were No. 4 in 2009. Oklahoma defeated North Carolina Central 126-54, Texas A&M 72-50 and beat Mississippi State 95-47.
No. 7 Vanderbilt (15-0) improved five spots after beating Stonehill 109-50, Arkansas 88-71 and LSU 65-61. More on the Commodores below.
No. 12 LSU (14-2) dropped seven spots after opening conference play 0-2. The Tigers also beat Alabama State 109-41.
No. 18 Ole Miss (14-3) fell three spots after losing to Michigan State 66-49 and Texas 67-64 and beating Alcorn State 64-44 and Georgia 79-62.
No. 20 Tennessee (10-3) improved three places after a trio of victories over Southern Indiana (89-44), Florida (76-65), and Auburn (73-56).
Alabama and Georgia each received Top 25 votes.
Caroline Makauskas’ Team of the Week
After posting a stat line of 32 points, a rebound, four assists and three steals in Vanderbilt’s upset of LSU, Mikayla Blakes told the SEC Network crew that the Commodores agreed in the locker room that “we’re not gonna fear anybody.”
The national player of the year candidate repeatedly made headlines last year along the way to winning the USBWA National Freshman of the Year and on Sunday led Vanderbilt to its first win over a top-five team since the 2008-09 campaign.
Blakes, a top-10 prospect in the class of 2024, chose Vanderbilt over a flurry of offers from more established powers, and — alongside coach Shea Ralph — has lifted the Commodores into not only the AP top 10 but to their highest ranking since 2007.
Vanderbilt should be of particular interest to Kentucky fans, as the Commodores are this year’s SEC home-and-home draw for the Wildcats; the programs will play in Lexington on Feb. 5 at 7 p.m. and in Nashville on Feb. 22 at 3 p.m.
Ralph may have lost second-leading scorer Khamil Pierre to N.C. State in the transfer portal, but the coach cleverly added former Texas forward Ndjakalenga Mwenentanda for an added punch on defense. Through 15 games, Mwenentanda is averaging 7.3 points and 2.7 rebounds per game.
The Commodores also benefit from true freshman point guard Aubrey Galvan, who graduated from Wilmette Loyola Academy with her name etched in the Illinois high school basketball record books, ranking in the top 20 for career 3-pointers made (292) and steals recorded (539).
Galvan is averaging 10.7 points, 3.6 rebounds, 6.7 assists, 3.1 steals and 2.3 turnovers per game. Against LSU, Galvan posted 14 points, three rebounds, an assist, three steals and three turnovers.
Three-point specialist Justine Pissott adds an average of 10.7 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game. Forward Sacha Washington, who returns this season after a blood clot caused her to sit out last year, is averaging 9.4 points, a team-high 7.3 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.1 blocks per game.
Caroline Makauskas’ Top 25 ballot: No. 1 Connecticut, No. 2 Texas, No. 3 UCLA, No. 4 South Carolina, No. 5 Oklahoma, No. 6 Vanderbilt, No. 7 Kentucky, No. 8 Michigan, No. 9 Maryland, No. 10 LSU, No. 11 Iowa State, No. 12 Michigan State, No. 13 Louisville, No. 14 TCU, No. 15 Iowa, No. 16 Texas Tech, No. 17 Baylor, No. 18 Stanford, No. 19 Ole Miss, No. 20 Washington, No. 21 Princeton, No. 22 Southern California, No. 23 Alabama, No. 24 North Carolina State, No. 25 Illinois.
