Kentucky receives one vote in week 14 AP Top 25
Kentucky Wildcats guard Sahvir Wheeler (2) smiles as he walks off the court after the Kentucky vs. Florida mens basketball game on Saturday, Feb. 4, 2023, at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky. Kentucky won 72-67. Photo by Jack Weaver | Staff
February 7, 2023
Kentucky mens basketball received one vote in the week 14 AP Poll on Monday.
Following a loss to Kansas over one week ago, Kentucky maintained its composure in conference play with two straight wins over Ole Miss and Florida, besting the Rebels 75-66, and the Gators 72-67.
With the wins, the Wildcats sit at 16-7 overall with a 7-3 conference record, finding themselves on a six-game conference winning streak.
Despite that, the victories were not enough for Kentucky to break into the top 25 in the week 14 poll, receiving only one vote from the committee.
Looking around the poll, in spite of Indiana’s massive win over No. 1 Purdue on Saturday, the Boilermakers remained the highest ranked school in the country, though Indiana itself was able to climb to No. 18 in the poll.
After Tennessee’s loss to Florida earlier in the week, Houston filled the vacant No. 2 spot as Alabama once again found itself as the SEC’s highest ranked representative at No. 3 in the poll with a perfect 10-0 SEC record.
Arizona and Texas filled out the top five schools, with Tennessee trailing just behind at No. 6 in the country.
Despite a turbulent week in the rankings, the Big 12 and Big East continue to dominate the AP Poll, nearly snuffing out the SEC entirely with the exception of Alabama and Tennessee.
The Big 12 and Big East combine for seven of the top 15 teams in the week 14 poll, with a total of 11 ranked teams amongst the pair.
The week 14 poll also saw several major jumps from several teams who recorded notable results in the week past.
First, Texas climbed five spots from No. 10 last week to No. 5 after back-to-back ranked conference wins against Baylor and Kansas State, marking consecutive ranked losses for the Wildcats to drop them five spots to No. 12.
Marquette also moved up four spots to No. 10 in the week 14 poll with wins over Villanova and Butler.
Finally, Gonzaga fell four spots to No. 16 in the poll following its loss to Saint Mary’s on Saturday which, assuming the Gaels maintain form, may lead to the first time since 2012 in which the Bulldogs failed to earn at least a share of the WCC regular season championship.
While Kentucky has struggled to gain traction in the AP weekly polls, the Wildcats will have plenty of opportunities in the remainder of the season to stack conference wins and prove that they belong among the best teams in the country.
Kentucky will look to keep its conference win streak alive on Tuesday, Feb. 7, when it will face off against the Arkansas Razorbacks inside Rupp Arena. Tip-off is scheduled for 9 p.m. EST in Lexington, Kentucky, and will air live on ESPN.
The Wildcats will then round out their week against Georgia on Saturday, Feb. 11, in Athens, Georgia, at noon EST.
A full list of AP Top 25 can be viewed below:
- Purdue Boilermakers (22-2)
- Houston Cougars (22-2)
- Alabama Crimson Tide (20-3)
- Arizona Wildcats (21-3)
- Texas Longhorns (19-4)
- Tennessee Volunteers (19-4)
- UCLA Bruins (19-4)
- Virginia Cavaliers (17-4)
- Kansas Jayhawks (18-5)
- Marquette Golden Eagles (19-5)
- Iowa State Cyclones (16-6)
- Kansas State Wildcats (18-5)
- Xavier Musketeers (19-5)
- Baylor Bears (17-6)
- Saint Mary’s Gaels (21-4)
- Gonzaga Bulldogs (19-5)
- TCU Horned Frogs (17-6)
- Indiana Hoosiers (16-7)
- Miami Hurricanes (18-5)
- Providence Friars (17-6)
- UConn Huskies (18-6)
- NC State Wolfpack (19-5)
- Creighton Bluejays (15-8)
- Rutgers Scarlet Knights (16-7)
- San Diego State Aztecs (18-5)
Others receiving votes:
FAU (93), Duke (87), Auburn (65), Clemson (31), Pittsburgh (26), Illinois (25), Nevada (16), New Mexico (16), Maryland (12), Arkansas (11), Iowa (8), Missouri (6), West Virginia (5), Oral Roberts (5), Northwestern (3), Charleston (3), VCU (2), Utah State (2), Kentucky (1)
