Kentucky jumps five spots to No. 18 in Coaches Poll

Kentucky cracked the top 20 of the AP Poll, rising four spots to No. 19. USA Today’s panel of coaches is impressed by the Cats as well. Kentucky is No. 18 in the new Coaches Poll, a five-spot jump from the preseason version.

As in the AP Poll, Kansas is the No. 1 team in the land, followed by Alabama and UConn. Auburn occupies the No. 4 spot, followed by Gonzaga and Duke, tomorrow night’s opponent in the Champions Classic. The Crimson Tide, Tigers, Bulldogs, and Blue Devils are four of nine opponents Kentucky will face in the Top 25. Tennessee is just inside the top ten, at No. 9; Florida is one spot behind the Cats at No. 19; Arkansas fell five spots to No. 21; Ohio State, Kentucky’s foe in the CBS Sports Classic, is No. 22; and Texas A&M is No. 23.

Coaches Poll – Nov. 11

Rank	Team	Record	PTS	Prev	Chg
1	Kansas	2-0	759 (21)	1	–
2	Alabama	2-0	724 (4)	2	–
3	UConn	2-0	702 (3)	3	–
4	Auburn	2-0	660 (2)	11	+7
5	Gonzaga	2-0	651 (1)	7	+2
6	Duke	2-0	608	5	-1
7	Iowa State	1-0	576	6	-1
8	Arizona	2-0	516	9	+1
9	Tennessee	2-0	502	12	+3
10	Houston	1-1	488	4	-6
11	North Carolina	1-1	456	10	-1
12	Purdue	2-0	437	13	+1
13	Creighton	2-0	385	14	+1
14	Baylor	1-1	328	8	-6
15	Marquette	2-0	308	17	+2
16	Indiana	2-0	234	18	+2
17	Cincinnati	2-0	230	20	+3
18	Kentucky	2-0	182	23	+5
19	Florida	2-0	179	21	+2
20	Illinois	2-0	151	24	+4
21	Arkansas	1-1	150	16	-5
22	Ohio State	1-0	148	NR	+15
23	Texas A&M	1-1	99	15	-8
24	Rutgers	1-0	84	NR	+3
25	St. John’s	2-0	79	NR	+3

Schools Dropped Out: No. 19 Texas; No. 22 UCLA; No. 25 Ole Miss

Others Receiving Votes: Texas Tech 75; Ole Miss 60; Texas 54; Xavier 38; Oregon 37; Michigan State 29; BYU 29; UCLA 18; UCF 17; Wake Forest 12; Saint Mary’s 12; Kansas State 9; Clemson 9; New Mexico 8; Dayton 8; North Florida 7; Maryland 5; Providence 4; Mississippi State 4; Nevada 2; San Francisco 1; Grand Canyon 1

2024-25 USA Today Sports Board of Coaches

Have you ever wondered who votes in the Coaches Poll? Nate Oats is the biggest name on this year’s board, which includes 31 Division I head coaches. I wonder how many points he gave the Cats.

• Tobin Anderson, Iona
• Adrian Autry, Syracuse
• John Becker, Vermont
• Randy Bennett, Saint Mary’s
• Jeff Boals, Ohio
• Alvin Brooks, Lamar
• Scott Drew, Baylor
• Matt Driscoll, North Florida
• Dan Earl, Chattanooga
• Jonas Hayes, Georgia State
• Alan Huss, High Point
• Donte’ Jackson, Grambling
• Ben Jacobson, Northern Iowa
• James Jones, Yale
• Greg Kampe, Oakland
• Brad Korn, Southeast Missouri State
• Greg McDermott, Creighton
• Nick McDevitt, Middle Tennessee
• Mike McGarvey, Lafayette
• Niko Medved, Colorado State
• Dan Monson, Eastern Washington
• Chris Mooney, Richmond
• Nate Oats, Alabama
• Eric Olen, UC San Diego
• Matt Painter, Purdue
• Michael Schwartz, East Carolina
• Patrick Sellers, Central Connecticut State
• Zach Spiker, Drexel
• Brett Tanner, Abilene Christian
• Stan Waterman, Delaware State
• Jeff Wulbrun, Denver