Head coach ‘Mark Pope’ & The Wildcats Again Celebrate A Big News Following NCAA Tournament
Kentucky began the season ranked No. 23 in both the AP and Coaches Polls. By the end of the season, the Wildcats had moved into the top 15 of both polls, demonstrating that Mark Pope’s first year was a success.
In the final AP Poll of the season, Kentucky secured the No. 12 spot, climbing six places since March 17, the week before the NCAA Tournament. They rose seven spots to No. 14 in the USA Today Coaches Poll. As expected, Florida ranked No. 1 in both polls, followed by Houston, Duke, Auburn, Tennessee, and Alabama.
In the AP Poll, Kentucky is positioned between Rick Pitino’s St. John’s at No. 11 and BYU at No. 13, which is Mark Pope’s former team. Louisville, which was previously ranked No. 10 in the AP Poll, dropped to No. 21 in both polls after being eliminated by Creighton in the first round of the tournament.
Overall, the SEC had eight teams in the Top 25, while the Big 12 and Big Ten each had five, and the ACC had three. Arkansas re-entered the rankings at No. 20 after reaching the Sweet 16, and Ole Miss came back at No. 18 after progressing to the second weekend. Meanwhile, Missouri fell out of the Top 25 after their first-round loss to Drake.
Take a look at all of them below. Our next discussion about the AP and Coaches Polls will be in October when the preseason rankings for the 2025-26 season are unveiled.
AP College Basketball Poll – April 8
| RK | TEAM | REC | PTS | TREND |
| 1 | Florida (61) | 36-4 | 1525 | +2 |
| 2 | Houston | 35-5 | 1464 | – |
| 3 | Duke | 35-4 | 1402 | -2 |
| 4 | Auburn | 32-6 | 1343 | – |
| 5 | Tennessee | 30-8 | 1220 | +1 |
| 6 | Alabama | 28-9 | 1198 | +1 |
| 7 | Michigan State | 30-7 | 1188 | +1 |
| 8 | Texas Tech | 28-9 | 1140 | +1 |
| 9 | Maryland | 27-9 | 923 | +2 |
| 10 | Michigan | 27-10 | 873 | +4 |
| 11 | St. John’s | 31-5 | 862 | -6 |
| 12 | Kentucky | 24-12 | 744 | +6 |
| 13 | BYU | 26-10 | 712 | +4 |
| 14 | Purdue | 24-12 | 704 | +8 |
| 15 | Arizona | 24-13 | 639 | +6 |
| 16 | Wisconsin | 27-10 | 542 | -3 |
| 17 | Iowa State | 25-10 | 512 | -2 |
| 18 | Ole Miss | 24-12 | 424 | +8 |
| 19 | Texas A&M | 23-11 | 358 | – |
| 20 | Arkansas | 22-14 | 321 | +6 |
| 21 | Louisville | 27-8 | 309 | -11 |
| 22 | Clemson | 27-7 | 265 | -10 |
| 23 | Gonzaga | 26-9 | 250 | +1 |
| 24 | Saint Mary’s | 29-6 | 186 | -4 |
| 25 | Memphis | 29-6 | 137 | -9 |
Teams that received votes include: Drake 122, Oregon 105, Illinois 80, UConn 76, Creighton 60, Colorado State 49, UCLA 36, McNeese State 17, Missouri 16, New Mexico 10, UC San Diego 6, Kansas 5, and Marquette 2.
Teams that have fallen out of the rankings: Missouri 23, Oregon 25.
USA Today Coaches Poll – April 8
| RK | TEAM | REC | PTS | TREND |
| 1 | Florida (31) | 36-4 | 775 | +2 |
| 2 | Houston | 35-5 | 744 | – |
| 3 | Duke | 35-4 | 706 | -2 |
| 4 | Auburn | 32-6 | 689 | – |
| 5 | Tennessee | 30-8 | 621 | +1 |
| 6 | Alabama | 28-9 | 610 | +2 |
| 7 | Michigan State | 30-7 | 593 | – |
| 8 | Texas Tech | 28-9 | 582 | +1 |
| 9 | Maryland | 27-9 | 469 | +3 |
| 10 | St. John’s | 31-5 | 436 | -5 |
| 11 | Michigan | 27-10 | 427 | +4 |
| 12 | Purdue | 24-12 | 384 | +10 |
| 13 | Arizona | 24-13 | 353 | +7 |
| 14 | Kentucky | 24-12 | 330 | +7 |
| 15 | BYU | 26-10 | 316 | +2 |
| 16 | Wisconsin | 27-10 | 315 | -6 |
| 17 | Iowa State | 25-10 | 280 | -3 |
| 18 | Ole Miss | 24-12 | 214 | +8 |
| 19 | Texas A&M | 23-11 | 195 | -1 |
| 20 | Gonzaga | 26-9 | 155 | +3 |
| 21 | Louisville | 27-8 | 146 | -10 |
| 22 | Saint Mary’s | 29-6 | 97 | -3 |
| 23 | Clemson | 27-7 | 95 | -10 |
| 24 | Creighton | 25-11 | 90 | +2 |
| 25 | Arkansas | 22-14 | 84 | +1 |
Teams that received votes include: Memphis 63, Drake 52, Illinois 49, UConn 41, Oregon 40, Missouri 33, UCLA 33, Marquette 18, New Mexico 11, Colorado State 9, UC San Diego 7, Kansas 6, Baylor 6, and McNeese 1.
Teams that have been removed from the rankings: Memphis 16, Missouri 24, and Marquette 25.
No Comment! Be the first one.