Kentucky rises in AP top 25 after changing its starting lineup, beating Ole Miss
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Kentucky rose to No.16 after lineup change, wins over A&M and Ole Miss.
- Rhode Island 14-0 in A-10, NET No.43, pursuing likely NCAA bid (1996 prior)
- SEC has ten teams in AP top 25, underscoring league's depth
As the song “It’s Not Where You Start,” from 1973 Broadway musical “Seesaw” put it, “it’s where you finish,” that matters most.
It’s a sentiment embodied by Kenny Brooks and the Kentucky Wildcats as they work to rebound from some unexpected — and frustrating — stumbles down the stretch of Southeastern Conference play.
After achieving a No. 6 ranking in the Week 9 edition of women’s college basketball Associated Press Top 25, the Wildcats had only fallen in the rankings until a Week 13 two-spot increase following a get-back win against Arkansas on Feb. 1.
That changed Monday, when Kentucky improved to No. 16 in this week’s poll.
Time without Teonni Key proved fatal against opponents ranked and otherwise as the Wildcats lost three straight (the longest UK losing streak under Brooks to this point), and her return from injury just in time for the road trip to Fayetteville, Arkansas. But the team’s sole game the following week, a one-point home loss to Vanderbilt, knocked UK back off course and, consequently, back down a couple spots in the rankings.
As the Wildcats continue to work toward consistent, four-quarter performances playing their style of basketball, what better opportunity than a three-game week featuring two away games and two ranked opponents?
The week didn’t start well, with a turnover-loaded, double-digit loss to top-10 Texas in Austin. Texas played a B- game, but Kentucky struggled anyway, as the Longhorns’ defense successfully put away the Wildcats, who pulled within one point about midway through the fourth quarter.
A change had to be made, Brooks decided, and the Wildcats shifted their starting lineup; beginning with Thursday’s road game against Texas A&M, Asia Boone would start in place of Jordan Obi, and the team’s energy benefited from it.
The Wildcats took down the Aggies 75-55, and earned a 74-57 victory Sunday against then-No. 14 Ole Miss. The Rebels had, not 24 hours earlier, been named to the final line of the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee’s top-16 overall seeds, indicating that, if March Madness were to begin this week, Mississippi would host opening-round games.
Kentucky’s Sunday win does not secure hosting privileges by any means, but the Wildcats have better positioned themselves for a No. 4 seed with the victory. This week, UK will have the opportunity to further bolster that position with a Sunday rematch at Vanderbilt.
Thanks to No. 23 Georgia (20-6) re-entering this week’s poll, the SEC again has 10 teams ranked in the AP Top 25. No. 25 Alabama (20-6) is this week’s caboose after an eight-point loss to Oklahoma.
No. 2 South Carolina (25-2), No. 4 Texas (24-3) and No. 5 Vanderbilt (24-3) remain in the same spots as last week, despite Vandy beating Texas on Thursday.
No. 7 LSU (22-4) fell one spot after losing to South Carolina 79-72 at home Saturday night. No. 11 Oklahoma (19-6) dropped one spot, falling out of the top 10, after losing to Vanderbilt and beating both Florida and Alabama.
No. 17 Ole Miss (20-6) fell three spots after the Kentucky loss but beat Arkansas on Thursday. No. 21 Tennessee (16-7) also had a split week, beating Missouri and narrowly losing to Texas on Sunday.
“It’s not how you go, it’s how you land. A hundred to one shot, they call him a klutz — can outrun the favorite, all he needs is the guts.” - “Seesaw,” 1973.
Caroline Makauskas’ Team of the Week
In a very good Atlantic 10, Rhode Island is posting a historic season.
Not only are the Rams 14-0 in conference play for the first time in program history, they’ve been flirting with their AP Top 25 debut for weeks as they continue to work toward their third-ever conference title. Rhode Island isn’t yet ranked, but it sits just outside the top 25 with 41 votes.
Last week, Rhody defeated league mates VCU and George Mason by a combined margin of 59 points. VCU was a “should-win” game, as it sits third from the bottom of the A-10 with just four conference wins on the season; George Mason was true test, as the Patriots were tied for second in the league, just one game behind the undefeated leader of the pack. Rhode Island aced it, winning by 16 in George Mason’s EagleBank Arena.
Brooklyn Gray (13.2 points per game), Palmire Mbu (11), Vanessa Harris (11) and Ines Debroise (9.1) lead Rhode Island in scoring, but coach Tammi Reiss said after the VCU win that her team achieves success by committee, which has allowed the Rams to go from a struggling group in its season-opening win over Manhattan to a player-led machine.
“It’s not been us (coaches) all the time,” Reiss said. “It’s been them. I’m really, really proud of them. Their growth from preseason, that first game at Manhattan, ‘cause we did not look like we looked today. If you go back and watch that first game? Oh my God. I’m going, ‘How’re we gonna win a game in the A-10?’ to where we are today. And that’s just the work they’ve put in.”
Reiss said this season’s roster has “the best team chemistry I’ve seen, they trust each other and they play for each other.” Because of that, she said, she never has to worry about anybody on her roster; their connection allows for trust and accountability, and that breeds a culture of learning.
For her part, Reiss is working hard to make sure she’s learning, too.
Reiss told local outlet WPRI over the weekend that the team’s priority is to be playing its best basketball at the right time; for Rhode Island, that means shorter practices and taking any opportunity possible to rest its starters.
“For us, in the past, I think I’ve worked them a little bit too hard,” Reiss said. “Too long at practice, too intense, too many reps. And now, it’s really…saving those legs. So by the time the end of the year comes, and A-10 Conference Tournament and March Madness, you’re peaking at the right time.”
Though the program has only made the NCAA Tournament once in its history — a 1996 first-round exit at the hand of Oklahoma State — Rhody’s profile has risen substantially in Reiss’ seven-year tenure, particularly over the past few years.
Rhode Island posted a program-best 22-7 record in 2022 before falling to Quinnipiac in the first round of the WNIT. In 2023, Rhody reached the third round of the WNIT prior to a single-digit loss to Harvard in the Great 8.
Now 23-2 overall, the team’s sole losses this year are an early, single-digit road loss at Rutgers, and a 67-59 home loss to Princeton.
While Reiss — a 3x3 Olympic Bronze medalist as an assistant coach, a former WNBA guard and an All-American in the mid-’90s at Virginia alongside now-South Carolina boss Dawn Staley — is certainly a familiar face to deep, longtime fans of the sport, it’s probably fair to say the casual didn’t hear her name, nor about Rhody, until the Rams’ massive, 68-63 upset at then-No. 16 North Carolina State at the end of November.
It was a bold declaration: Rhode Island is here, and we are more than capable of competing with those considered among the cream of the crop.
Days later came the loss to Princeton, and Rhode Island hasn’t slipped since. As of Monday, Rhody is No. 43 in the NET with a 1-0 record in Quad 1 games. Rhode Island is 2-1 in Quad 2 games and 3-0 Quad 3. The Rams are 16-1 against Quad 4, with that November loss to Rutgers the biggest stain on their schedule.
With more parity than ever in women’s college basketball, if Rhode Island continues its tear through conference play, I’d expect it to make the field of 68 come Selection Sunday, even if it fails to capture the A-10 Tournament title.
Depending on how the remainder of the regular season plays out, the A-10 may end up being a two-bid league; NCAA tournament regular Richmond (22-4) currently sits at No. 39 in the NET, despite a 73-61 loss at Rhode Island on Dec. 30. The Spiders are led by guard Maggie Doogan, one of the nation’s most prolific scorers and complete players.
Rhode Island’s remaining schedule starts with a Wednesday road game at La Salle and a Saturday home matchup with Fordham. Rhody will play at Richmond Feb. 25 before a regular-season finale against George Washington on Feb. 28.
The Atlantic 10 Championship will take place March 4-8 at the Henrico Sports & Events Center in Henrico, Virginia.
Caroline Makauskas’ Top 25 ballot: No. 1 Connecticut, No. 2 UCLA, No. 3 South Carolina, No. 4 Vanderbilt, No. 5 Michigan, No. 6 Texas, No. 7 LSU, No. 8 Duke, No. 9 Louisville, No. 10 Ohio State, No. 11 Oklahoma, No. 12 Maryland, No. 13 TCU, No. 14 Baylor, No. 15 Kentucky, No. 16 Iowa, No. 17 Texas Tech, No. 18 Ole Miss, No. 19 West Virginia, No. 20 North Carolina, No. 21 Georgia, No. 22 Tennessee, No. 23 Minnesota, No. 24 Rhode Island, No. 25 Washington.
This story was originally published February 16, 2026 at 1:27 PM.
