The Mark Pope era of Kentucky basketball is off to a great start. After winning their first two games, the Wildcats got an impressive victory over the Duke Blue Devils on the back of a SEC Player of the Week performance by Andrew Carr.
As a result, Kentucky jumped up seven spots in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll. They are now ranked 11th overall, and are the fourth highest ranked SEC team.
Related: Best photos from Kentucky’s win over Duke
The Alabama Crimson Tide lost their first game, and fell to number seven. Meanwhile the Auburn Tigers are now ranked third overall. The Tennessee Volunteers are also ranked in the top ten, coming in at number nine. Three other SEC teams are ranked, for a total of seven in the top 25.
For Kentucky, it has been a fast rise up the rankings after being barely a top 25 team in the preseason. Up next for the Cats is Lipscomb. It’s a game Kentucky should win, but they’ll need to avoid an emotional letdown after the big victory over Duke.
Here is the full top 25 in the new Coaches Poll:
| Rank | Team | Record | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kansas | 4-0 | 665 (21) |
| 2 | UConn | 3-0 | 632 (3) |
| 3 | Auburn | 3-0 | 608 (2) |
| 4 | Gonzaga | 3-0 | 599 (1) |
| 5 | Iowa State | 2-0 | 516 |
| 6 | Purdue | 4-0 | 513 |
| 7 | Houston | 2-1 | 470 |
| 7 | Alabama | 3-1 | 470 |
| 9 | Tennessee | 4-0 | 462 |
| 10 | Duke | 3-1 | 421 |
| 11 | Kentucky | 3-0 | 381 |
| 12 | North Carolina | 2-1 | 377 |
| 13 | Creighton | 4-0 | 348 |
| 14 | Marquette | 4-0 | 319 |
| 15 | Baylor | 3-1 | 313 |
| 16 | Cincinnati | 3-0 | 229 |
| 17 | Arizona | 2-1 | 228 |
| 18 | Indiana | 3-0 | 208 |
| 19 | Florida | 4-0 | 168 |
| 20 | Illinois | 3-0 | 133 |
| 21 | St. John’s | 4-0 | 119 |
| 22 | Texas Tech | 3-0 | 95 |
| 23 | Texas A&M | 3-1 | 94 |
| 24 | Arkansas | 2-1 | 82 |
| 25 | Wisconsin | 4-0 | 75 |