Monday Headlines: Kentucky in the College Basketball Rankings

Posted by Admin December 9, 2024 Basketball

The Kentucky Wildcats appeared to be doomed at halftime of Saturday’s game against Gonzaga. But that’s why there are two halves of a basketball game and not just one.

The No. 4 Wildcats rallied in the final 20 minutes of regulation to force overtime and later beat the No. 7 Gonzaga, 90-81.

Kentucky’s victory came at a critical time following the team’s narrow loss at Clemson earlier in the week. It also gives UK their second top-10 win of the season — which will be significant come March.

The Wildcats have risen to No. 10 in the KenPom rankings and also stand at No. 10 in the DRatings. Haslametrics has Kentucky at No. 7 in their rankings.

Interestingly enough, KenPom has Duke and Gonzaga at No. 3 & No. 4 in their rankings while Haslametrics has Duke at No. 1 and Gonzaga at No. 4.

This week, the Wildcats face Colgate (Wednesday) and Louisville (Saturday) — both at Rupp Arena — as they near the end of their non-conference schedule.

Kentucky is a significant favorite in both games, with ESPN’s Basketball Power Index giving Mark Pope’s team a 98.8% chance to win against Colgate and an 87% chance to win against Louisville.

This week is an excellent opportunity for Kentucky to string together a couple of wins before entering the final week of their non-conference schedule and before they dive head first into Southeastern Conference play.

Check back here throughout the day for updates on where Kentucky stands in the official rankings!