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The Kentucky Wildcats are back in the AP Poll heading into the 2018 NCAA Tournament.
After winning the SEC Tournament, including a win over the No. 13 Tennessee, the Cats are checking in at No. 18 in the latest AP Poll. That’s a big jump after UK fell out of both major polls heading into the SEC Tournament, but 18 feels about right for this club.
You could definitely argue they should be higher, especially if Jarred Vanderbilt is healthy, but since he’s out for now, this is a fair spot for the Cats.
UK ended up beating just two teams that finished in the AP Poll, including Tennessee and at West Virginia. You could make a good argument for Arkansas being a top-25 team, especially after they beat No. 23 Florida out of the SEC Tournament.
Anyhow, here’s the entire AP Poll:
- Virginia Cavaliers
- Villanova Wildcats
- Kansas Jayhawks
- Xavier Musketeers
- Michigan State Spartans
- Cincinnati Bearcats
- Michigan Wolverines
- Gonzaga Bulldogs
- Duke Blue Devils
- North Carolina Tar Heels
- Purdue Boilermakers
- Arizona Wildcats
- Tennessee Volunteers
- Texas Tech Red Raiders
- West Virginia Mountaineers
- Wichita State Shockers
- Ohio State Buckeyes
- Kentucky Wildcats
- Auburn Tigers
- Clemson Tigers
- Houston Cougars
- Miami-Florida Hurricanes
- Florida Gators
- Nevada Wolf Pack
- Saint Mary’s Gaels
Elsewhere, the latest CBS Power Rankings have the Cats climbing up to the No. 19 spot:
The Wildcats’ resume features six top-50 KenPom wins -- among them a road victory over West Virginia. UK is 6-1 in its past seven games with wins over Arkansas, Missouri and Alabama (twice).
For what it’s worth, the NCAA Selection Committee had UK at 17 in their ranking of all 68 NCAA Tournament teams, so it makes sense that UK is in the 17-19 range of the major polls and rankings.
Saying this, all that really matters is where you’re ranked at the end of the season.