Andy Katz names Kentucky his Team of the Week after Duke win
The praise for Kentucky continues following last week’s win over No. 6 Duke. Andy Katz named the Cats his March Madness National Team of the Week this morning for their performance in the comeback victory in the Champions Classic. He also boosted Kentucky from No. 15 to No. 5 in his Power 37 rankings. Duke fell one spot to No. 6.
In the writeup, Katz praised Kentucky’s defense on Duke superstar Cooper Flagg and said the Cats are “extremely well-connected” under Mark Pope just three games in.
The Wildcats won a thriller over Duke at the Champions Classic in Atlanta, beating the Blue Devils 77-72. Kentucky trailed by nine at the half and eight with just under nine minutes remaining. Kentucky did a great job defensively on Cooper Flagg in the final two Duke possessions, forcing turnovers. Wake Forest transfer Andrew Carr scored a team-high 17 and Oklahoma transfer Otega Owes scored 15, including two clinching free throws. The Wildcats entered the week 3-0 and appeared to be extremely well-connected for coach Mark Pope.
Two of Kentucky’s future opponents are ahead of the Cats in Katz’s rankings. Gonzaga is No. 2 behind No. 1 Kansas. The Cats play the Bulldogs in Seattle on December 3. UConn is No. 3 and Auburn is up two spots to No. 4. The Tigers come to Rupp Arena on March 1. Alabama fell from No. 2 to No. 8 after losing to Purdue. Tennessee (No. 11) and Florida (No. 19) are the only other teams from the SEC in the Top 25. Arkansas is just outside at No. 26, followed by Texas A&M (No. 27) and Ohio State (No. 28). The Aggies beat the Buckeyes on Friday.
Kentucky will be back in action tomorrow night vs. Lipscomb (7 p.m. ET, SEC Network+). You can spend the time until then watching “The Journey” on loop.
Kentucky in the National Rankings
The new AP and Coaches Polls will drop around lunch. Kentucky, currently No. 19 in the AP Poll and No. 18 in the Coaches Poll, is poised to make a big jump. Here’s where all the major national college basketball writers have the Cats in their rankings this morning:
Related
Kentucky moves up to No. 11 in latest Coaches Poll
The media voters were a bit higher on Kentucky‘s win over Duke than the coaches, apparently. After coming in at No. 9 overall in the latest AP Poll — a ten
Caleb Wilson cuts list to five, includes Kentucky
Kentucky remains in the mix for its top recruiting target in 2025 ahead of a final decision. Caleb Wilson, the No. 5 prospect and No. 2 power forward in his cl
WATCH: Lamont Butler, Brandon Garrison preview Lipscomb
It’ll be a full week in between games for the Kentucky men’s basketball team. After taking down Duke in a neutral setting last Tuesday in Atlanta, the Wild
Deep Duke Basketball Rotation Unlikely in Big-Time Showdowns
Potent five-star freshman Isaiah Evans and top-tier four-star rookie guard Darren Harris remained on the Duke basketball bench throughout the No. 6-ranked Blue
