The Cats moved up to third place in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll. They also received a first place vote. What’s more interesting is that ESPN titled this article as “Wildcats up a spot in rankings”. What about that! We went from NIT and no one talking about our program, to everyone is talking about our program! I’m utterly speechless to think about how far we’ve come in such a short amount of time. I just hope our phenom freshman don’t get too big headed and they at some point understand that they’re playing for Kentucky and what that means. It’s more than basketball, it’s a way of life!
| NCAA Division I: ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll | ||||
| RANK | TEAM | RECORD | PTS | PVS |
| 1. | Kansas (30) | 9-0 | 774 | 1 |
| Last Week: Def. Radford 99-64 (12/9), Def. La Salle 90-65 (12/12) This Week: 12/19 vs. Michigan (5-4) Tickets |
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| 2. | Texas | 8-0 | 735 | 2 |
| Last Week: Def. Long Beach State 107-74 (12/7), Def. Texas State 87-54 (12/12) This Week: 12/15 vs. Texas-Pan American (1-9), 12/19 vs. No. 10 North Carolina (8-2) Tickets |
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| 3. | Kentucky (1) | 10-0 | 701 | 4 |
| Last Week: Def. No. 12 Connecticut 64-61 (12/9), Def. Indiana 90-73 (12/12) This Week: 12/19 vs. Austin Peay (7-4) Tickets |
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| 4. | Purdue | 9-0 | 675 | 5 |
| Last Week: Def. Valparaiso 86-62 (12/9), Def. Alabama 73-65 (12/12) This Week: 12/19 vs. Ball State (3-4) Tickets |
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| 5. | Syracuse | 10-0 | 658 | 6 |
| Last Week: Def. No. 11 Florida 85-73 (12/10), Def. St. Francis (NY) 75-51 (12/13) This Week: 12/19 vs. St. Bonaventure (6-3) Tickets |
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| 6. | West Virginia | 7-0 | 631 | 7 |
| Last Week: Def. Duquesne 68-39 (12/9), Def. Coppin State 69-43 (12/12) This Week: 12/19 at Cleveland State (4-6) Tickets |
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| 7. | Duke | 7-1 | 547 | 8 |
| Last Week: No Games Played This Week: 12/15 vs. Gardner-Webb (3-4), 12/19 vs. No. 15 Gonzaga (8-2) Tickets |
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| 8. | Tennessee | 7-1 | 528 | 9 |
| Last Week: Def. Middle Tennessee State 75-54 (12/11) This Week: 12/15 vs. Wyoming (5-4), 12/19 at USC (4-4) Tickets |
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| 9. | Villanova | 9-1 | 524 | 3 |
| Last Week: Def. Saint Joseph’s 97-89 (12/9), Lost to Temple 75-65 (12/13) This Week: 12/19 at Fordham (2-6) Tickets |
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| 10. | North Carolina | 8-2 | 497 | 10 |
| Last Week: Def. Presbyterian 103-64 (12/12) This Week: 12/19 at No. 2 Texas (8-0) Tickets |
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| 11. | Georgetown | 8-0 | 494 | 13 |
| Last Week: Def. No. 20 Butler 72-65 (12/8), Def. No. 16 Washington 74-66 (12/12) This Week: 12/19 vs. Old Dominion (6-4) Tickets |
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| 12. | Michigan State | 8-2 | 423 | 14 |
| Last Week: Def. Citadel 69-56 (12/7), Def. Oakland 88-57 (12/10) This Week: 12/19 vs. IPFW (3-5) Tickets |
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| 13. | Florida | 8-1 | 367 | 11 |
| Last Week: Lost to No. 6 Syracuse 85-73 (12/10) This Week: 12/19 vs. Richmond (7-2) Tickets |
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| 14. | Connecticut | 6-2 | 358 | 12 |
| Last Week: Lost to No. 4 Kentucky 64-61 (12/9) This Week: 12/20 vs. UCF (7-2) Tickets |
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| 15. | Georgia Tech | 6-1 | 229 | 21 |
| Last Week: No Games Played This Week: Def. Chattanooga 95-64 (12/14), 12/16 vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff (0-7), 12/20 vs. Florida State (7-2) Tickets |
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| 15. | Gonzaga | 8-2 | 229 | 22 |
| Last Week: Def. Augustana ILL 79-40 (12/9), Def. Davidson 103-91 (12/12) This Week: 12/19 at No. 7 Duke (7-1) Tickets |
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| 17. | Butler | 7-3 | 184 | 20 |
| Last Week: Lost to No. 13 Georgetown 72-65 (12/8), Def. No. 15 Ohio State 74-66 (12/12) This Week: 12/19 vs. Xavier (6-3) Tickets |
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| 18. | Ohio State | 7-2 | 176 | 15 |
| Last Week: Lost to No. 20 Butler 74-66 (12/12) This Week: 12/16 vs. Presbyterian (2-8), 12/19 vs. Delaware State (4-4) Tickets |
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| 19. | New Mexico | 10-0 | 164 | NR |
| Last Week: Def. San Diego 82-78 (12/9), Def. No. 18 Texas A&M 84-81 (12/12) This Week: 12/16 vs. Northern Arizona (3-5), 12/19 vs. Creighton (3-5) Tickets |
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| 20. | Texas Tech | 9-0 | 150 | NR |
| Last Week: Def. TCU 80-70 (12/8) This Week: 12/19 at Wichita State (9-1) Tickets |
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| 21. | Washington | 6-2 | 146 | 16 |
| Last Week: Lost to No. 13 Georgetown 74-66 (12/12) This Week: 12/19 vs. Portland (6-3) Tickets |
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| 22. | Kansas State | 9-1 | 136 | NR |
| Last Week: Def. Xavier 71-56 (12/8), Def. No. 17 UNLV 95-80 (12/12) This Week: 12/19 at Alabama (6-3) Tickets |
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| 23. | UNLV | 7-1 | 112 | 17 |
| Last Week: Lost to Kansas State 95-80 (12/12) This Week: 12/15 at Southern Utah (3-7), 12/17 vs. Weber State (5-4), 12/19 vs. USC Upstate (1-7) Tickets |
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| 24. | Clemson | 8-2 | 110 | 24 |
| Last Week: Def. Furman 82-53 (12/13) This Week: 12/16 at East Carolina (4-5), 12/19 vs. Charleston (4-3) Tickets |
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| 25. | Mississippi | 8-1 | 77 | NR |
| Last Week: Def. McNeese State 83-67 (12/12) This Week: 12/16 vs. UTEP (5-1), 12/19 vs. Centenary (4-5) Tickets |
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| Others Receiving Votes Cincinnati 76, Texas A&M 58, Wisconsin 58, Illinois 25, Temple 24, Memphis 21, Florida State 20, Brigham Young 17, Saint Mary’s 17, Oklahoma State 15, Wake Forest 15, St. John’s 14, Charlotte 14, Northwestern 13, Seton Hall 9, Dayton 9, Tulsa 9, Washington State 9, William & Mary 9, California 7, Missouri State 3, Western Carolina 3, Mississippi State 2, Northern Iowa 1, Baylor 1, Coastal Carolina 1.Dropped From Rankings Texas A&M 18, Cincinnati 19, Wisconsin 23. |
