Kentucky still tops men’s hoops poll

New York, NY (SportsNetwork.com) – Kentucky remained the top team in the latest Associated Press men’s college basketball poll after opening the season with a pair of wins.

The Wildcats eased past Grand Canyon on Friday, then struggled somewhat for 26 minutes against Buffalo on Sunday before pulling away for a 71-52 win. Kentucky earned 49 first-place votes — three fewer than the preseason poll — and 1,574 points from a nationwide media panel.

Arizona, Wisconsin, Duke and Kansas complete the top five. Arizona received four first-place votes, Wisconsin picked up seven and Duke garnered four.

North Carolina, Louisville, Florida, Virginia and Texas round out the top 10. Louisville and Florida swapped places from the preseason poll.

The second 10 was also virtually unchanged, consisting of Wichita State, Villanova, Gonzaga, Iowa State, VCU, San Diego State, Connecticut, Oklahoma, Michigan State and Ohio State. Oklahoma and Michigan State exchanged spots.

Nebraska, SMU, Syracuse, Michigan and Utah are the last five teams ranked. Harvard, which tied Utah for 25th in the preseason poll, fell out after a loss to Holy Cross on Sunday.

This week’s schedule will feature a few ranked matchups, including Tuesday’s doubleheader in Indianapolis that will feature Michigan State against Duke and Kentucky against Kansas. Texas and Syracuse could meet on Friday at Madison Square Garden as part of the 2K Classic.

Categorized in: NCAA Basketball