The Kentucky Wildcats men’s basketball team has been on a wild ride in the top 25 polls this season. They made their way into the top ten after really good non-conference play, getting all the way up to number six.
Once SEC play began, they began to slide. After losing three straight games at Rupp Arena, they were nearly outside the top 25 completely.
Since then, the Wildcats have been climbing steadily. They won seven out of eight games, including big road wins over the Auburn Tigers and, most recently, the Tennessee Volunteers. They also beat a ranked Alabama Crimson Tide team in Lexington.
Kentucky closed the season with five consecutive wins, and that has boosted them up the rankings again this week. In Monday’s USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll, the Wildcats have moved up into the top ten, coming in at number nine. That’s up four spots from the previous week.
The SEC Tournament is up next, and if all goes well, a top three seed in the NCAA Tournament could follow.
Here is the rest of the Coaches Poll.
| Rank | Team | Record | PTS | 1st | Prev | Chg | Hi/Lo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
 Houston
|
28-3 | 772 | 29 | 1 | – | 1/6 |
| 2 |
 UConn
|
28-3 | 732 | 0 | 2 | – | 1/5 |
| 3 |
 Purdue
|
28-3 | 728 | 2 | 3 | – | 1/4 |
| 4 |
 North Carolina
|
25-6 | 671 | 0 | 7 |
+3
|
3/21 |
| 5 |
 Tennessee
|
24-7 | 653 | 0 | 4 |
-1
|
4/13 |
| 6 |
 Creighton
|
23-8 | 569 | 0 | 10 |
+4
|
6/NR |
| 7 |
 Arizona
|
24-7 | 566 | 0 | 5 |
-2
|
1/13 |
| 8 |
 Iowa State
|
24-7 | 546 | 0 | 6 |
-2
|
6/NR |
| 9 |
 Kentucky
|
23-8 | 513 | 0 | 13 |
+4
|
6/20 |
| 10 |
 Marquette
|
23-8 | 487 | 0 | 9 |
-1
|
3/18 |
| 11 |
 Duke
|
24-7 | 481 | 0 | 8 |
-3
|
3/21 |
| 12 |
 Auburn
|
24-7 | 423 | 0 | 14 |
+2
|
6/NR |
| 13 |
 Baylor
|
22-9 | 387 | 0 | 11 |
-2
|
6/19 |
| 14 |
 Illinois
|
23-8 | 385 | 0 | 12 |
-2
|
8/NR |
| 15 |
 Gonzaga
|
24-6 | 274 | 0 | 18 |
+3
|
8/NR |
| 16 |
 South Carolina
|
25-6 | 273 | 0 | 16 | – | 11/NR |
| 17 |
 Kansas
|
22-9 | 256 | 0 | 15 |
-2
|
1/17 |
| 18 |
 Utah State
|
26-5 | 249 | 0 | 22 |
+4
|
17/NR |
| 19 |
 Alabama
|
21-10 | 217 | 0 | 17 |
-2
|
13/NR |
| 20 |
 Saint Mary’s
|
24-7 | 193 | 0 | 21 |
+1
|
17/NR |
| 21 |
 BYU
|
22-9 | 166 | 0 | 23 |
+2
|
12/NR |
| 22 |
 Nevada
|
26-6 | 109 | 0 | NR |
+5
|
22/NR |
| 23 |
 Texas Tech
|
22-9 | 104 | 0 | NR |
+4
|
15/NR |
| 24 |
 Dayton
|
24-6 | 103 | 0 | NR |
+2
|
16/NR |
| 25 |
 Washington State
|
23-8 | 82 | 0 | 20 |
-5
|
20/NR |