UK #9 in new AP Poll

[WeWant9]

#9 on our way to #9!

Five SEC teams ranked.

NCAA College Basketball Rankings: AP Top 25 Basketball Poll

The official page for the AP Top 25 men's college basketball poll. Keep up to date and view the latest NCAA men's basketball ranking updates each week for the 2023-24 season.

apnews.com

 

[Smashcat]

In good shape to get a 2 seed if we get to Sunday in the SECT.

 

[UK67KU59]

Ha! Beat me by a minute

 

[Huma1894]

National Titles run in Reed's family.

 

[moses1uk]

the trains coming just hope you get off the tracks

 

[nickhorvathsuxazz]

Tennessee win impressed...we took the biggest jump in teh country

 

[FiveStarCat]

That top 12 is about how the seeds should go too. Probably won’t because of KU and Dukes brand names, but it’s how it should be seeded

 

[moses1uk]

Tennessee win impressed...we took the biggest jump in teh country

to everyone but the CBS dudes Parrish and Norlander who said the win didnt impress them enough to move up above 17

 

[MidseasonTweak]

Top 10, I like it. Starting to get some respect. Time to push through and win the SEC now.

 

[WeWant9]

Looks like UK finished playing 6 teams in the top 25, 4-4 record, with some in very rowdy environments.

 

[Creed Bratton]

to everyone but the CBS dudes Parrish and Norlander who said the win didnt impress them enough to move up above 17

Idiots!! Did Jerry Palm move them above a 5 seed yet?

 

[UKSanders]

to everyone but the CBS dudes Parrish and Norlander who said the win didnt impress them enough to move up above 17

So, where do those guys have UT ranked? 5th


So, UK beating them on their home floor wasn't impressive, but that should only be because they aren't impressed with UT.

Either they aren't impressed with UT, so a win over them isn't impressive (hard to imagine why they are ranked 5th if not being impressive), or UT is worth a ranking that high, which means a non-fluke (not a weird miracle shot, injury, etc) win over them SHOULD be impressive.

However, their ranking and opinion is contradictory. They ARE impressed with UT enough to rank them 5th, but a team beating them on their home floor on their LAST home game isn't impressive.

 

[LineSkiCat14]

In good shape to get a 2 seed if we get to Sunday in the SECT.

Heck, I don't even really care about a 2-seed.. just stay on the 3-seed line.. and maybe the best 3-seed would be preferred.

 

[know1]

Two spots higher than I figured they'd move us, but still in there for a 3 Seed. We need to not hurt that in the SEC as I think we only have an outside shot at a 2.

 

[Creed Bratton]

Can someone explain to me how Kansas, who is 7-7 down the stretch, and have potentially lost the only 2 guys that can score in McCullar and Dickinson are still a projected 3 seed?

 

[Fawrules]

Quite a generous jump. Higher than I was expecting.

 

[UK67KU59]

Interesting chart of champions AP rank the last 7 weeks before the tournament. Kentucky's ranking the last 7 weeks is below:

T-1: 9
T-2: 15
T-3: 16
T-4: 17
T-5: 22
T-6: 17
T-7: 10

AP Poll Rank for NCAA Tournament Champions - BracketResearch.com

Table shows the AP Poll rank for the NCAA Tournament champion in the weeks leading up to the NCAA Tournament.

bracketresearch.com

 

[G-PIP]

Tennessee win impressed...we took the biggest jump in teh country

How could anyone watching that game not be impressed with the win? UK got beat on like a proverbial red-headed stepchild by one of the most physical and composed teams in the County - and won ON THE ROAD.

 

[LineSkiCat14]

Quite a generous jump. Higher than I was expecting.

It' actually is exactly where we should be. We're on a roll, just beat #4 at their house... There was absolutely no reason to keep Duke, Auburn, Illini, or Kansas ahead of us. And I'm perfectly fine still being behind Creighton.

ISU.. I think there's an argument to be made that they drop behind us, but I'm fine with it. Arizona, Tenn and UNC were either too far ahead of us already and/or took care of their games to stay ahead of us. Fine with those 3 as well. And then you have the 3 #1 seeds.. Purdue, Uconn and Houston.

I'm very content with 9th. Which will go a long way ensuring we are a 3-seed.

Probably just can't lose our opening SECT game, and it would help to win the next one. After that, we're locked as a 3-seed.

 

[CalipariCapo]

Can someone explain to me how Kansas, who is 7-7 down the stretch, and have potentially lost the only 2 guys that can score in McCullar and Dickinson are still a projected 3 seed?

What happened to McCullar? I must’ve missed that news

 

[LineSkiCat14]

What happened to McCullar? I must’ve missed that news

He's pretty hobbled, and they also rushed him back. There is word they might hold him out of the B12T and rest him up for the NCAAT.

If that happens, I just can't see Kansas winning more than 1 game.. an already not deep team, with it's two best players out, trying to win a pretty tough Big12 Neutral site game, after just winning the night before. I can't see their 2nd game being a win, and they might even lose game 1.

 

[Fawrules]

It' actually is exactly where we should be. We're on a roll, just beat #4 at their house... There was absolutely no reason to keep Duke, Auburn, Illini, or Kansas ahead of us. And I'm perfectly fine still being behind Creighton.

ISU.. I think there's an argument to be made that they drop behind us, but I'm fine with it. Arizona, Tenn and UNC were either too far ahead of us already and/or took care of their games to stay ahead of us. Fine with those 3 as well. And then you have the 3 #1 seeds.. Purdue, Uconn and Houston.

I'm very content with 9th. Which will go a long way ensuring we are a 3-seed.

Probably just can't lose our opening SECT game, and it would help to win the next one. After that, we're locked as a 3-seed.

Oh, I wasn't saying we don't deserve to be ranked in the Top 10 given our recent record/just beating a potential #1 Seed in the NCAA Tourney on the road.
Just meant that I didn't expect the voters to actually bump us up that many spots.
I was hoping for ::at least:: #12 or better.

 

[LineSkiCat14]

Oh, I wasn't saying we don't deserve to be ranked in the Top 10 given our recent record/just beating a potential #1 Seed in the NCAA Tourney on the road.
Just meant that I didn't expect the voters to actually bump us up that many spots.
I was hoping for ::at least:: #12 or better.

For sure. I just wanted to use your post to outline that we SHOULD be 9th.

I think a lot of us, even me, just figure the NCAA is going to screw us.. so when they don't, we sometimes get surprised and think "wow, that's nice of them".

.. when in fact, this is where we should be and they didn't actually do Kentucky any favor lol.

It's like, as UK fans, all we want is to just not get shit on. We're not asking for help like Kansas or Duke or UNC lol. You don't have to do us ANY favors, we can win by our own merit and talent. But we DO ask, please don't try and royally screw us haha.

 

[mcwildcats04]

He's pretty hobbled, and they also rushed him back. There is word they might hold him out of the B12T and rest him up for the NCAAT.

If that happens, I just can't see Kansas winning more than 1 game.. an already not deep team, with it's two best players out, trying to win a pretty tough Big12 Neutral site game, after just winning the night before. I can't see their 2nd game being a win, and they might even lose game 1.

I heard someone say it was a bone bruise with McCullar. Just Googled and it says bone bruises slowly heal over 1 to 2 months and sometimes take longer. Not sure when he initially got hurt.

 

[LineSkiCat14]

I heard someone say it was a bone bruise with McCullar. Just Googled and it says bone bruises slowly heal over 1 to 2 months and sometimes take longer. Not sure when he initially got hurt.

It was at least a few weeks ago. And Bill Self got desperate and rushed him back after many thought he was out indefinitely and maybe several more weeks.

It's the opposite of Cal.. Self got worried and greedy for wins, and didn't take stock in the fact that keeping your best guys healthy is worth more than dropping a seed line or two.. rushed him back, and now Kansas' tournament hopes are almost all but snuffed out.

 

[ukcatz12]

It's looking like a 90 second span of bad basketball against LSU is going to cost this team a 2 seed.

 

[Kerry Kat]

UK is currently playing like a top 5 and FF team.

 

[blue cincy]

9 in both polls. But all the computer stuff has UK at 17 to 20 range. They need to build in a metric that goes over the last 10 games (throughout the season) and add that into all the numbers. As well as giving conf road games (against any team) more value than the system does. Just ask Florida, bad game against Vandy. Does not make Florida a horrible team.

 

[ukcatz12]

It was at least a few weeks ago. And Bill Self got desperate and rushed him back after many thought he was out indefinitely and maybe several more weeks.

It's the opposite of Cal.. Self got worried and greedy for wins, and didn't take stock in the fact that keeping your best guys healthy is worth more than dropping a seed line or two.. rushed him back, and now Kansas' tournament hopes are almost all but snuffed out.

Which is exactly why we handled Bradshaw and Ugo like we did.

 

[LineSkiCat14]

It's looking like a 90 second span of bad basketball against LSU is going to cost this team a 2 seed.

And a few injuries on top of that likely cost us a 1-seed.

 

[blue cincy]

I heard someone say it was a bone bruise with McCullar. Just Googled and it says bone bruises slowly heal over 1 to 2 months and sometimes take longer. Not sure when he initially got hurt.

My son got a bone bruise on his knee during a wrestling match. He ended up on crutches for 4 weeks and no workouts for 6 to 7 weeks. He did not even make it back that year in wrestling. He was a 9th grader back then. He won a State championship in his first year as a 12 year old wrestler. Event was at Fern Creek that year.

 

[ukcatz12]

And a few injuries on top of that likely cost us a 1-seed.

Yup. I think if just Thiero had been healthy the whole year we're a 1 seed.

 

[LineSkiCat14]

9 in both polls. But all the computer stuff has UK at 17 to 20 range. They need to build in a metric that goes over the last 10 games (throughout the season) and add that into all the numbers. As well as giving conf road games (against any team) more value than the system does. Just ask Florida, bad game against Vandy. Does not make Florida a horrible team.

One interesting metric on Bart Torvik, is that he talks about Free throws and opponents free throws..

Our opponents free throw rate? Keep in mind that we're supposedly a team that doesn't play defense.. 192nd in the nation.

Duke, UNC and Kansas.. all in the 50-80 range.

And worse, even our teams Free Throw rate is 254th.

Those metrics go a long way (I'm thinking) in Bart Torvik's rating of these teams.

 

[LineSkiCat14]

Kentucky has a negative free throw rate compared to opponents.. It's no coincidence that Duke, UNC and Kansas have a positive rate.

Officiating matters. Kentucky took on several losses because of that free throw rate, while Kansas Duke and UNC got helped by it.

 

[nickhorvathsuxazz]

So, where do those guys have UT ranked? 5th


So, UK beating them on their home floor wasn't impressive, but that should only be because they aren't impressed with UT.

Either they aren't impressed with UT, so a win over them isn't impressive (hard to imagine why they are ranked 5th if not being impressive), or UT is worth a ranking that high, which means a non-fluke (not a weird miracle shot, injury, etc) win over them SHOULD be impressive.

However, their ranking and opinion is contradictory. They ARE impressed with UT enough to rank them 5th, but a team beating them on their home floor on their LAST home game isn't impressive.

All you can do is laugh at the absurdity

 

[Creed Bratton]

All you can do is laugh at the absurdity

Calipari effect

 

[nickhorvathsuxazz]

He's pretty hobbled, and they also rushed him back. There is word they might hold him out of the B12T and rest him up for the NCAAT.

If that happens, I just can't see Kansas winning more than 1 game.. an already not deep team, with it's two best players out, trying to win a pretty tough Big12 Neutral site game, after just winning the night before. I can't see their 2nd game being a win, and they might even lose game 1.

If dick and mccullar are both out they'll take it on the chin in game one

 

[nickhorvathsuxazz]

My son got a bone bruise on his knee during a wrestling match. He ended up on crutches for 4 weeks and no workouts for 6 to 7 weeks. He did not even make it back that year in wrestling. He was a 9th grader back then. He won a State championship in his first year as a 12 year old wrestler. Event was at Fern Creek that year.

I hope, for your sake, he's in a lighter weight division. I pity the man w/ an unruly 16 yr. old son who's a championship level wrestler. Discipline could get dicey...

 

[Untouchables22]

9 in both polls. But all the computer stuff has UK at 17 to 20 range. They need to build in a metric that goes over the last 10 games (throughout the season) and add that into all the numbers. As well as giving conf road games (against any team) more value than the system does. Just ask Florida, bad game against Vandy. Does not make Florida a horrible team.

I believe we have the best collection of road wins in the country…..Purdue had the best non-conference but all at neutral venues. People don’t realize both Florida and Auburn only lost one game at home all year: UK

 

[G-PIP]

He's pretty hobbled, and they also rushed him back. There is word they might hold him out of the B12T and rest him up for the NCAAT.

If that happens, I just can't see Kansas winning more than 1 game.. an already not deep team, with it's two best players out, trying to win a pretty tough Big12 Neutral site game, after just winning the night before. I can't see their 2nd game being a win, and they might even lose game 1.

I can't see how Kansas has much of a shot to beat almost anybody in the Tournament without MuCullar and Dickinson being near 100%. As you said, they didn't have any real depth to start with. So, if you don't have your two best players able to go and you add in the fact that Dajuan Harris is many times so offensively passive that he really hurts their team, then I think if I were a Kansas fan I'd start thinking about next year already.