After a tough loss against Ole Miss earlier in the week, it was expected that Kentucky would probably drop in the AP Top 25 college basketball rankings, it was just a question as to how far. Luckily, the Wildcats didn't fall into a trap against an easy South Carolina and handled the Gamecocks with ease, saving Kentucky from a free fall in the rankings.
Kentucky fell from No. 14 in the rankings to No. 15 right before they are set for a rematch against the No. 5 Tennessee Volunteers on Tuesday night. The last time these two teams met was just a couple weeks ago when the Wildcats took down the Volunteers in a close 78-73 matchup.
The loss to Ole Miss was very telling for Kentucky as the Wildcats struggled to get stops consistently, allowing the Rebels to score 98 points on them. Last week was probably the best shot Kentucky had at getting two wins within a week in SEC play with Ole Miss and South Carolina on the schedule. Luckily after the Ole Miss loss, Kentucky was able to dust themselves off and beat a Gamecocks team who is winless in SEC play.
The Wildcats desperately need this win against Tennessee to break a three-way tie among them, Vanderbilt, and Mississippi State, where all three teams sit at 5-5 in conference play. A win against the Volunteers would also help with Kentucky's standing in the AP Top 25 rankings as well.
After taking on Tennessee, the Wildcats will travel to Austin to take on the Texas Longhorns, a newcomer in the SEC. That game by no means will be an easy on either as Texas has spent some time in the Top 25 as well and even taken down other ranked teams.
Looking at the rest of the rankings, many were probably surprised to see the Auburn Tigers remain at No. 1 after suffering a loss to the Florida Gators on their home court. However, the Gators soured up the rankings to No. 3, just being Alabama and Auburn.
It is a big week for Kentucky and they can't afford to slide anymore in these rankings, which means winning the games they should.