The Kentucky Wildcats took a big drop in the latest college hoops AP Top 25 Poll.
After losing to the UCLA Bruins in New Orleans, UK dropped to No. 16 in this latest poll. It’s one of the biggest drops a team has endured this season, but that’s what happens when you lose to a team that could be bound for the NIT.
Thankfully, it was a neutral-court loss in December, so ti could end up mattering very little in the long run. Or, it could be a sign of things to come.
Either way, UK doesn’t deserve to be in the top 10 right now, but seeing UK behind Miami, who just lost to New Mexico State, seems silly.
Oh, and North Carolina (13) lost at home to Wofford, so UK’s loss to UCLA doesn’t look so bad compared to some of the defeats suffered by team’s ahead of UK.
Here’s the latest AP Poll:
10. TCU Horned Frogs
11. Kansas Jayhawks
12. Oklahoma Sooners
16. Kentucky Wildcats
17. Arizona Wildcats
18. Baylor Bears
20. Gonzaga Bulldogs
ESPN’s new power rankings also have UK taking a big drop. This one has the Cats checking in at No. 18. A big reason why is UK’s weak nonconference resume:
We said it was going to start getting real for Kentucky. The Wildcats passed their first test against Virginia Tech two weekends ago but lost to UCLA on Saturday. One thing to note: Unless Kentucky beats West Virginia in Morgantown in late January, the Wildcats' best nonconference win away from home this season will be vs. Monmouth in New York.
Alas, there’s still plenty of season left, but it’s clear these Cats have a long way to go before they’re truly a Final Four contender.