AP Top 25 for this week

[HICATFAN]

Thoughts? Compared to Coaches Poll?

AlohaCat

AP Top 25
RK TEAM RECORD PTS
1 Oklahoma (36) 16-2 1,592
2 North Carolina (29) 18-2 1,586
3 Iowa 16-3 1,473
4 Kansas 16-3 1,369
5 Texas A&M 17-2 1,332
6 Villanova 17-3 1,261
7 Xavier 17-2 1,186
8 Maryland 17-3 1,111
9 West Virginia 16-3 1,105
10 Providence 17-3 1,005
11 Virginia 15-4 903
12 Michigan State 17-4 869
13 SMU 18-1 838
14 Iowa State 15-4 792
15 Miami (FL) 15-3 753
16 Louisville 16-3 719
17 Baylor 15-4 594
18 Arizona 16-4 502
19 Indiana 17-3 466
20 Kentucky 15-4 403
21 Purdue 17-4 328
22 Wichita St 14-5 151
23 Oregon 16-4 149
24 Duke 15-5 145
25 Notre Dame

 

[TexKat]

We have to slay quite a few dragons to move back up close to 10. Sigh..

 

[BBUK]

Virginia, Michigan St, Baylor, Arizona, and IU...RPI WAY off...nuff said...

 

[ukwazoo]

It's just as stupid and meaningless. If only we played in the MVC.

 

[JStaff2187]

We'll earn a top 15 spot if we get it after this week. Here is hoping for the expected win against Missouri and a win in tough game at Kansas.

 

[BBUK]

We'll earn a top 15 spot if we get it after this week. Here is hoping for the expected win against Missouri and a win in tough game at Kansas.

You state that like it will be so but I doubt UK EVER rises that high with only two wins. (I don't care who they are against.) If they lose at KU I bet UK falls out of the top 25. (Any takers?)

If they win both UK will be 16 to 18 tops...

 

[BoulderCat]

If we slay that dragon out in Kansas we'll move up. If we don't though we'll drop even if they are 4th. The polls seem to very sensitive to UK losing. As someone noted in the coaches poll thread Mich. St. has lost 3 in a row, 4 overall their still 12th. We'd be 20-25th or unraked if we did the same thing. It's hard not to feel like there's a bias against the SEC. Heck A&M only has 2 losses and their behind two teams with 3. I think we can win out with the exception of KU and A&M. If we lose at A&M though we likely have no shot at even a share of the SEC title. And yea if we lose we may drop out even though their ranked 4th and it's at their place.

 

[KWilt43atbuzz]

Again UVA at 15-4 at #11 is a joke.

 

[KyFord]

Unreal, I though we would be around 15 or 16

 

[UKWildcats#8]

We are probably not winning at KU...so that is a bit of a moot point IMO. For the record, if the game was at Rupp I'd be saying "We are not losing at Rupp to KU" as UK never loses at home, and neither does KU much either.

 

[LineSkiCat14]

We have to slay quite a few dragons to move back up close to 10. Sigh..

Not if they slay themselves. Every night it seems 1 or 2 top25 teams drop. Kentucky just can't drop many more. But they will continue to move up if they keep winning. The teams above are not much better and are losing left and right.

 

[WeWant9]

It seems our bad losses are being hung over our heads a little bit more than others. I'm not going get worked up over the polls, but it's humorous how others go on losing skids and have no real drop. We lose a road game and we drop fast.

Oh well, situations like these are when Cal really excels. He's great at creating the "us vs them" mentality. I think this team will be playing with a chip on their shoulders from here on out. We've seen signs of it the last two games, just got to keep going. Handle our business and everything else will work out.

 

[OldEvilleCat]

Win AT Kansas erases Auburn loss. Win AT A&M erases Ohio St loss.

Only way we're gonna get back in the thick of it. IU ranked ahead of UK...

 

[KA4Prez]

Again UVA at 15-4 at #11 is a joke.

Wins vs top 50...Kentucky has 3, Virginia has 6
Losses outside the top 50...Kentucky has 4, Virginia has 3
One common opponent...Virginia won at Ohio State by 6, Kentucky lost on a neutral court vs Ohio State by 7

 

[KA4Prez]

It seems our bad losses are being hung over our heads a little bit more than others. I'm not going get worked up over the polls, but it's humorous how others go on losing skids and have no real drop. We lose a road game and we drop fast.

Oh well, situations like these are when Cal really excels. He's great at creating the "us vs them" mentality. I think this team will be playing with a chip on their shoulders from here on out. We've seen signs of it the last two games, just got to keep going. Handle our business and everything else will work out.

Kentucky is the only team ranked in the AP top 25 who has more losses to teams outside of the top 50 (4) than they have wins against the top 50 (3).

 

[jwhite123]

Wins vs top 50...Kentucky has 3, Virginia has 6
Losses outside the top 50...Kentucky has 4, Virginia has 3
One common opponent...Virginia won at Ohio State by 6, Kentucky lost on a neutral court vs Ohio State by 7

Normally I don't agree with him much, but I think his point was more that UVA isn't a top 11 team rather than just saying they shouldn't be ranked higher than us. I honestly don't think UVA is a top 20 team, but at the best 17-18.

 

[KA4Prez]

Oh I agree with him, I think Virginia is overrated. However, with every team having 2+ losses, there's a log jam. If you take UVA's wins, they are better than most teams that have 5 or less losses.

Truly overrated? Maryland. 17-3, ONE win over the top 50 (Connecticut). Wichita State, 14-5, ONE top 50 win (Utah, who is 50th, why are they even ranked but South Carolina isn't)?

 

[zannmann]

How did Kansas only drop one spot after getting spanked by Oklahoma State?

 

[Ben101er]

You state that like it will be so but I doubt UK EVER rises that high with only two wins. (I don't care who they are against.) If they lose at KU I bet UK falls out of the top 25. (Any takers?)

If they win both UK will be 16 to 18 tops...

You could be right. A lot will depend on the wins and losses of the teams from 11 to 19. But, that is what you get when you lose to a crappy Auburn team.

 

[BBUK]

Not if they slay themselves. Every night it seems 1 or 2 top25 teams drop. Kentucky just can't drop many more. But they will continue to move up if they keep winning. The teams above are not much better and are losing left and right.

UK will drop significantly every time they lose no matter the situation. I have seen it too many times. I don't care what many teams above UK does losing-wise. Yes they will rise but even if UK wins out I doubt they see #1 again unless it is the final poll and UK wins it all. Note: I am not saying UK deserves anywhere near number one, just an example.

 

[BBUK]

You could be right. A lot will depend on the wins and losses of the teams from 11 to 19. But, that is what you get when you lose to a crappy Auburn team.

Ben, what I am stating is who UK loses to does not matter as long as they lose. Who they win against does not matter as long as they win.

 

[Aike]

Our ranking is fair when taking our entire body of work into account.

I don't feel that the rankings accurately reflect how good we are at this moment. We didn't get the kind of momentum bump that would normally accompany the kind of wins we got last week.

But we also need to show consistency. Everything we do gets more attention because we are Kentucky.

Most early season games are forgotten, but nobody forgot us losing to OSU.

Conference road losses are forgivable and to be expected - unless Kentucky loses to Auburn.

The rest of our schedule has plenty of opportunities for us to improve our position. If we play like a top 5 team the rest of the way, we will probably be pretty close to top 5 when all is said and done.

 

[KA4Prez]

People also take subjective views on rankings. Are the rankings based on resumes and results? Are the rankings based on what the teams would be like if they all played their best?

Virginia vs Kentucky for example. If both played their A+ game, UK wins. UK has more talent. UK has more depth. It doesn't mean they should be ranked higher.

 

[Ben101er]

Ben, what I am stating is who UK loses to does not matter as long as they lose. Who they win against does not matter as long as they win.

I agree, somewhat. But, I just think that a loss to Auburn just kills you, while a loss to KU, at Lawrence, can be made up for. You may drop about the same, with both losses, but it just takes a whole lot of wins to make up for a loss to a team like Auburn, where if you lose to KU, 3-4 wins can get you back to where you were. I am not sure that you can ever recover from the AU loss. Maybe if we only lose once more, and win the SEC tournament, we could climb back in the top 10, but I don't see that happening.

 

[_NewWorldOrder_]

Stupid. Michigan St. loses 3 in a row, then wins against Maryland at home and only falls to 12. If we lost 3 in a row it wouldn't matter who we beat on our home court. We'd drop down to at least the 20's if not out completely. And Duke........

 

[_NewWorldOrder_]

Kansas. Get ready to bend over next Saturday. And as Ice Cube once said. "With No Vaseline" Because we're about to lay the smack down on you punks at the fieldhouse. We're coming for a spot in the top 10 and we ain't showing no mercy. Y'all best get the hell outta Dodge.

 

[_NewWorldOrder_]

A&M, Nova, and Xavier should be ranked ahead of Kansas after Kansas got embarrassed by OK St.

 

[stoneycat_20]

Where are all the guys that said ranking don't matter..well i have news for you they do matter...Higher ranked you are the better seed you get...UK is ranked about where they deserve..you dont lose to OSU and Auburn..

 

[BBUK]

Kansas. Get ready to bend over next Saturday. And as Ice Cube once said. "With No Vaseline" Because we're about to lay the smack down on you punks at the fieldhouse. We're coming for a spot in the top 10 and we ain't showing no mercy. Y'all best get the hell outta Dodge.

While I agree, I think this UK team is learning a little about trickery. Watch Ulis, Murray, and Briscoe...to a lesser degree Mathews as he doesn't play the minutes but I think these four know how to steal a win if given the chance. The chance is what I'm not sure about and probably may not be given but we shall see... Who knows who gets angry at Self and when...(Just a thought, no reasoning...)

 

[BBUK]

Where are all the guys that said ranking don't matter..well i have news for you they do matter...Higher ranked you are the better seed you get...UK is ranked about where they deserve..you dont lose to OSU and Auburn..

Thanks I didn't know.

 

[docholiday51]

It seems our bad losses are being hung over our heads a little bit more than others. I'm not going get worked up over the polls, but it's humorous how others go on losing skids and have no real drop. We lose a road game and we drop fast.

Oh well, situations like these are when Cal really excels. He's great at creating the "us vs them" mentality. I think this team will be playing with a chip on their shoulders from here on out. We've seen signs of it the last two games, just got to keep going. Handle our business and everything else will work out.

Well said,however Cal doesn't have to create the "us against them" mentality he just waits for "them" to do it,the trick is when the team figures it out and buys in to it

 

[BBUK]

Where are all the guys that said ranking don't matter..well i have news for you they do matter...Higher ranked you are the better seed you get...UK is ranked about where they deserve..you dont lose to OSU and Auburn..

I'm glad I don't get what I deserve....anyone else agree? UK seems to always have to get what they deserve even if any other team doesn't. Our own make sure of that.

 

[CloverforkCat]

UK has chances to move up, the ball is in their court. @ Kansas, @ A&M, and @ South Car. We win 2 of those 3 we will move into 15-16 range, sweep all 3, (doubtful) and Cats will be on the fringe of the Top-10.
That is provided we don't slip up somewhere else. We could, Best case scenario, wind up as a 2 seed in the Louisville region.
To me the Great Pretender is as usual, Villanova. They typically flame out by the 2nd round, after being hailed as a FF contender by all the experts. I know Wichita State has 2 outstanding guards, but what about their front court, also I am not buying Iowa as the #3 ranked team, despite sweeping Mich. State.

 

[_NewWorldOrder_]

While I agree, I think this UK team is learning a little about trickery. Watch Ulis, Murray, and Briscoe...to a lesser degree Mathews as he doesn't play the minutes but I think these four know how to steal a win if given the chance. The chance is what I'm not sure about and probably may not be given but we shall see... Who knows who gets angry at Self and when...(Just a thought, no reasoning...)

We match up well with KU. We have to play physical though, because they don't. This is the kind of game where Poy has 18 and 12.

 

[_NewWorldOrder_]

Where are all the guys that said ranking don't matter..well i have news for you they do matter...Higher ranked you are the better seed you get...UK is ranked about where they deserve..you dont lose to OSU and Auburn..

You don't lose to Nebraska and Wisconsin either.

 

[UK HEMINGWAY]

Nobody is spanking UK from here on out...they might beat us, but it'll be tight. Kansas just needs to hope they beat uk sat....because God knows they can't beat UK out of Allen fieldhouse...1-22 against the cats away from home. I'm taking the line and smiling one way, maybe both if the cats get something out of Alex,Marcus or skal.

 

[Son_Of_Saul]

How did Kansas only drop one spot after getting spanked by Oklahoma State?

Everything is inflated in the Big 12. I remember the Wiggins team that ended up losing something like 10 games. They'd lose and drop 1 spot. Then, when they'd beat an inflated Big 12 opponent, they'd climb back up 5 or 6 spots in the polls.

Their predictable doom was known by most of us early on, and right on cue they lost to a 10 seed in the 2nd round.

 

[CharlieT71059]

we beat Kansas after beating Missouri and we should move up to about 12th, others have to lose though

 

[Son_Of_Saul]

UK has chances to move up, the ball is in their court. @ Kansas, @ A&M, and @ South Car. We win 2 of those 3 we will move into 15-16 range, sweep all 3, (doubtful) and Cats will be on the fringe of the Top-10.
That is provided we don't slip up somewhere else. We could, Best case scenario, wind up as a 2 seed in the Louisville region.
To me the Great Pretender is as usual, Villanova. They typically flame out by the 2nd round, after being hailed as a FF contender by all the experts. I know Wichita State has 2 outstanding guards, but what about their front court, also I am not buying Iowa as the #3 ranked team, despite sweeping Mich. State.

Agreed. If UK wins those three road games, they'll certainly find themselves in the top 10. Probably in the 6-8 range.

 

[Bkocats]

our ranking is about right, IMO -
Can't say much about everyone else. Win the games, it won't matter