Monday Headlines: Kentucky rises in the College Basketball Rankings (UPDATE)

As expected, Kentucky basketball remained in the top 10 in most of the new college basketball rankings.

The AP Top 25 Poll has Kentucky at No. 5, somehow behind the Duke Blue Devils. Tennessee is the new No. 1, followed by Auburn and Iowa State. Check out why it’s so important that Kentucky was in the top 12.
It’s mostly the same in the new Coaches Top 25 Poll, though this one has Duke behind Kentucky and Marquette at No. 4. Gonzaga remained in the top 10 of both polls.
Kentucky checked in at No. 5 of NCAA.com’s new Power 37. For what it’s worth, Clemson checked in at No. 8.
Fox Sports also has the Cats at No. 5.
The CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 has Kentucky at…you guessed it, No. 5.
The NET rankings have Tennessee at No. 1, Auburn at No. 2, Gonzaga at No. 3, Duke at No. 4, and Kentucky at No. 5.
KenPom has the Cats at No. 10. Colgate, who Kentucky hosts Wednesday, is No. 272. Louisville is No. 57 ahead of Saturday’s rivalry showdown.
BartTorvik has Kentucky at No. 8, Colgate at No. 282, and Louisville at No. 49.
Haslametrics ranks Kentucky at No. 8, Colgate at No. 280, and Louisville at No. 66.
Finally, DRatings has the Cats checking in at No. 11, Colgate at No. 215, and the Cards at No. 62.

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!