Kentucky Basketball Stays at No. 8 in AP Poll
By Drew Koch
The Kentucky basketball team remained No. 8 in this week’s AP Poll. However, the Wildcats did move to No. 5 in the USA Today Coaches Poll.
The Wildcats remain at No. 8 in the latest AP Men’s Basketball Poll. The Kentucky basketball team did, however, move up 2 spots to No. 5 in this week’s USA Today Coaches Poll.
Kentucky handily defeated Monmouth in the inaugural Citi Hoops Classic in New York City over the weekend. The Wildcats dominated the Hawks in the first half and went on to win the game 93-76. Kentucky was led by Hamidou’s Diallo‘s 23 points, as the native New Yorker returned home to help the Wildcats to their sixth straight victory.
Kentucky was leapfrogged by Arizona State. The Sun Devils, currently 9-0, even received 5 first-place votes. The North Carolina Tar Heels also vaulted over the Cats. No. 11 last week, North Carolina had a convincing win over the Western Carolina Catamounts, but that seems of little reason to have them jump over the Wildcats in rankings. Finally, the Miami Hurricanes, also undefeated, moved from No. 10 to No. 6.
Two SEC teams took it on the chin this week. Florida lost multiple games last week and Texas A&M saw their unbeaten streak stop at seven. The Aggies lost to Arizona 67-64.
The Wildcats did see a bump in the US Today Coaches Poll as they climbed 2 spots to No. 5. Kentucky will face off this Saturday against head coach Buzz Williams and Virginia Tech at Rupp Arena. The Hokies lead the nation in scoring with 96.2 points per game.