Kentucky basketball cracks top 10 in first AP Top 25 Poll

Kentucky has top-15 teams in basketball and football in the AP polls.

By Jason Marcum@marcum89 Updated Oct 18, 2021, 12:40pm EDT

While college football has much of the BBN’s focus right now, it won’t be long until the Kentucky Wildcats basketball team begins its 2021-22 regular season.

Today, the first AP Top 25 Poll of the new season was released, and it has Kentucky checking in at No. 10. It’s actually the same spot Kentucky checked in at to start the 2020-21 season, though this season will hopefully be vastly different (and more enjoyable) than that year turned out to be.

Kentucky’s first opponent — the Duke Blue Devils — checked in at No. 9, so we’ll be treated to a clash of top-10 teams in the 2021 Champions Classic.

Ohio State, who Kentucky faces in the CBS Sports Classic, is ranked No. 18.

The Gonzaga Bulldogs, UCLA Bruins, Kansas Jayhawks, Villanova Wildcats and Texas Longhorns made up the top five. Kentucky will play Kansas at Allen Fieldhouse for the 2022 SEC/Big 12 Challenge in January.

As for the SEC, Kentucky is the top team with the Alabama Crimson Tide (14), Arkansas Razorbacks (16), Tennessee Volunteers (18) and Auburn Tigers (22) also making it.