Kentucky basketball has used a 5 – 0 start to the season to springboard up in the various top 25 rankings. Last week, the Wildcats faced two weaker teams, but dominated the Lipscomb Bisons and the Jackson State Tigers, and now are inside the top ten in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll.
The Cats come in ranked eighth after the two wins, which is three spots higher than last week. They received no first place votes, but will face some stiffer competition in the coming weeks.
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The Auburn Tigers remain the highest ranked SEC team this week at number three overall. The Tennessee Volunteers are at number six, and Kentucky is the third highest ranked team in the conference. Overall four SEC teams are in the top ten, and eight are ranked in the top 25.
Kentucky faces Western Kentucky on Tuesday, then Georgia State to close out November. December’s schedule includes the Clemson Tigers, Ohio State Buckeyes, and Gonzaga.
Here are the full results of this week’s coaches poll:
| Rank | Team | Record | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kansas | 5-0 | 767 (25) |
| 2 | UConn | 4-0 | 717 (2) |
| 3 | Auburn | 4-0 | 707 (3) |
| 4 | Gonzaga | 5-0 | 689 (1) |
| 5 | Iowa State | 3-0 | 602 |
| 6 | Tennessee | 6-0 | 587 |
| 7 | Houston | 3-1 | 559 |
| 8 | Kentucky | 5-0 | 539 |
| 9 | Alabama | 4-1 | 527 |
| 10 | Duke | 4-1 | 502 |
| 11 | Marquette | 6-0 | 499 |
| 12 | Purdue | 5-1 | 429 |
| 13 | North Carolina | 3-1 | 424 |
| 14 | Cincinnati | 5-0 | 330 |
| 15 | Indiana | 4-0 | 262 |
| 16 | Florida | 6-0 | 260 |
| 17 | Wisconsin | 7-0 | 252 |
| 18 | Baylor | 4-2 | 244 |
| 19 | Creighton | 4-1 | 167 |
| 20 | Texas A&M | 4-1 | 146 |
| 21 | Arkansas | 4-1 | 128 |
| 22 | Xavier | 5-0 | 85 |
| 23 | Arizona | 2-2 | 76 |
| 24 | Ole Miss | 5-0 | 73 |
| 25 | Pittsburgh | 6-1 | 66 |