Kentucky rises to No. 19 in the AP Poll ahead of matchup vs. No. 6 Duke

Kentucky started the season at No. 23 in both the AP and Coaches Preseason Polls. After scoring 100 or more points in each of their first two games, the Cats are trending up. Kentucky is No. 19 in the new AP Poll. Duke, tomorrow’s opponent in the Champions Classic, is No. 6, one spot higher than the preseason version.

The Cats are one of eight SEC teams in the Top 25. Alabama leads the way at No. 2 behind Kansas, which held on to the No. 1 spot, followed by Auburn (No. 5), Tennessee (No. 11), Arkansas (No. 18), Kentucky (No. 19), Florida (No. 20), Texas A&M (No. 23), and Ole Miss (No. 25). Aside from Kentucky’s SEC foes, the Cats will face three more Top 25 teams: Gonzaga (No. 4), Duke (No. 6), and Ohio State (No. 21).

All eyes will be on the Cats vs. the Blue Devils in the Champions Classic tomorrow night in Atlanta (9 p.m. ET, ESPN), the second half of the doubleheader following No. 1 Kansas vs. Michigan State. Duke freshman Cooper Flagg is one of the most heralded rookies in college basketball in recent memory — maybe going back to Zion Williamson — with LeBron James going as far as to call him the future of the sport.

Slowing Flagg down will be a priority for the Cats, but the Blue Devils’ roster includes two more projected top-ten NBA Draft picks. Fellow freshmen Kon Kneuppel and Khaman Maluach will also test Kentucky’s veterans. Knueppel (18.5 points per game) and Flagg (15.5 ppg) have led the Blue Devils in scoring so far, while Maluach is the top rebounder (10.0 rebounds per game).

AP Poll – November 11

RK	Team	REC	PTS	TREND
1	Kansas(44)	2-0	1525	–
2	Alabama(6)	2-0	1439	–
3	UConn(7)	2-0	1398	–
4	Gonzaga(3)	2-0	1371	↑2
5	Auburn(2)	2-0	1315	↑6
6	Duke	2-0	1222	↑1
7	Iowa State	1-0	1206	↓2
8	Houston	1-1	1070	↓4
9	Arizona	2-0	1004	↑1
10	North Carolina	1-1	992	↓1
11	Tennessee	2-0	930	↑1
12	Baylor	1-1	806	↓4
13	Purdue	2-0	795	↑1
14	Creighton	2-0	752	↑1
15	Marquette	2-0	603	↑3
16	Indiana	2-0	600	↑1
17	Cincinnati	2-0	454	↑3
18	Arkansas	1-1	357	↓2
19	Kentucky	2-0	353	↑4
20	Florida	2-0	332	↑1
21	Ohio State	1-0	273	↑5
22	St. John’s	2-0	178	↑4
23	Texas A&M	1-1	169	↓10
24	Rutgers	1-0	157	↑1
25	Ole Miss	2-0	147	↓1

Others Receiving Votes: Illinois 144, Texas Tech 102, Wake Forest 84, Xavier 78, Texas 51, Michigan St. 41, BYU 26, Kansas St 24, UCF 20, Mississippi St. 15, New Mexico 15, Oregon 14, North Florida 14, Miami 14, Clemson 13, VCU 12, Memphis 8, Wisconsin 6, Grand Canyon 6, Providence 4, Maryland 3, Austin Peay 2, Arizona St 2, South Dakota St. 1, Michigan 1, Columbia 1, Dayton 1.

Where Kentucky stands in other national rankings

Tomorrow night’s game will provide a measuring stick for Mark Pope’s first squad. Here is where the national media thinks the Cats stand after blowouts vs. Wright State and Bucknell:

• Jay Bilas: No. 15
• Andy Katz: No. 15
• On3’s Jamie Shaw: No. 15
• John Fanta: No. 17
• The Athletic: No. 20
• Jon Rothstein: No. 30
• Gary Parrish: Not Ranked

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