Kentucky falls in AP, Coaches Polls entering NCAA Tournament

Now that the NCAA Tournament bracket is set, the polls are especially irrelevant, but there are some updates to pass along. Kentucky is down in both polls following the SEC Tournament. The Cats are No. 18 in the new AP Poll, down three spots from last week. They fell from No. 19 to No. 21 in the Coaches Poll.

The top six of both polls are the same: Duke, Houston, Florida, Auburn, St. John’s, and Tennessee. Alabama is No. 7 in the AP Poll. Kentucky is the next SEC team ranked, at No. 18, followed by Texas A&M (No. 19) and Missouri (No. 23). That’s seven SEC teams in total, with Ole Miss among the group outside the Top 25 receiving votes. A record 14 teams made the NCAA Tournament field of 68.

Louisville, which received a No. 8 seed from the Selection Committee, is No. 10 in the AP Poll, which I’m sure Card Nation has a few feelings about.

Of course, all that matters now is the path ahead in the NCAA Tournament. Illinois, Kentucky’s potential second-round opponent, is No. 29 in the AP Poll. Tennessee, of course, is No. 6, Houston No. 2.

AP College Basketball Poll – March 17

Duke (49)

Houston (6)

Florida (2) +1

Auburn (2) -1

St. John’s +1

Tennessee +2

Alabama -2

Michigan State -1

Texas Tech

Louisville +3

Maryland

Clemson -2

Wisconsin +5

Michigan +8

Iowa State -3

Memphis

BYU

Kentucky -3

Texas A&M -5

Saint Mary’s -1

Arizona

Purdue -2

Missouri -2

Gonzaga

Oregon -2

Others Receiving Votes: Drake 107, Marquette 69, UC San Diego 57, Illinois 55, VCU 28, Creighton 28, Mississippi 13, McNeese St. 4, UConn 4, Colorado St. 4, Kansas 3, High Point 3, UCLA 3, Akron 3.

USA Today Coaches Poll – March 16

RankTeamRecordPTSChg1Duke31-3764 (25)–2Houston30-4731 (2)–3Florida30-4715 (3)+14Auburn28-5672 (1)-15St. John’s30-4643–6Tennessee27-7634–7Michigan State27-6568-18Alabama25-8556–9Texas Tech25-8498–10Wisconsin26-9445+411Louisville27-7426+212Maryland25-8401-113Clemson27-6378-314Iowa State24-9361-215Michigan25-9329+616Memphis29-5272+117BYU24-9235+118Texas A&M22-10233-219Saint Mary’s28-5209-420Arizona22-12177+421Kentucky22-11164-222Purdue22-11154-223Gonzaga25-893+924Missouri22-1190-225Marquette23-1068-2

Schools Dropped Out: No. 25 Illinois

Others Receiving Votes: Drake 46; UC San Diego 37; Oregon 35; VCU 33; Creighton 33; Illinois 27; Kansas 16; UConn 12; Baylor 7; Colorado State 6; UCLA 3; Ole Miss 2; Vanderbilt 1; North Carolina 1;

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