Although the same team is atop this week’s Associated Press Top 25 men’s college basketball poll, released on Monday, there is a heavy SEC presence and some movement throughout the rankings.
Here are five takeaways from the poll.
Auburn continues to close in on Tennessee for top spot
A fourth win over a top-25 opponent was not enough for Auburn to overtake Tennessee for the top spot in this week’s poll.
The Tigers (11-1) received 21 first-place votes to Tennessee’s 41 after dominating then-No. 16 Purdue, 87-69, on Saturday. Johni Broome was a force again with 23 points and 11 rebounds, giving him his eighth double-double of the season.
Auburn shot the ball efficiently (54.5 percent) against Purdue and controlled the paint, 44-28. If teams cannot find an answer to Broome and allow Auburn to completely take over a game like it did against the Boilermakers, it may not be long until the Tigers are on top.
Kentucky suffers biggest drop in poll after surprising loss to Ohio State
The Kentucky Wildcats fall from No. 4 to No. 10 after an 85-65 loss to Ohio State (8-4) on Saturday in the CBS Sports Classic.
The 65 points were a season-low for the Wildcats. The three-point shooting (18.2 percent) was by far the worst for Kentucky this season, which is concerning given the Wildcats rank 174th in the country in opponent points per game (72.8 PPG) according to TeamRankings.
When the shots are falling, Kentucky (10-2) has shown what it can do with comeback wins over then-No. 6 Duke and a No. 7 Gonzaga team. However, when the shots are not going down for the Wildcats, Saturday’s loss to Ohio State is an example of what can happen as the Buckeyes took advantage and pulled the upset.
As Kentucky prepares for the SEC gauntlet, its defense must improve, especially when the offense is struggling.
Oklahoma, Cincinnati rise two spots after ranked wins
The Oklahoma Sooners move up to No. 12 after a late four-point play from Jeremiah Fears sealed an 87-86 win over then-No. 24 Michigan at the Jumpman Invitational.
Oklahoma (12-0) looks dangerous with Fears leading the way. The freshman, who averages 18 points per game, had a career-high 30 points in the win over the Wolverines.
While Oklahoma will get tested throughout its debut season in the SEC, the Sooners look like a difficult out, especially if Fears keeps taking over games.
The Cincinnati Bearcats (10-1) move up to No. 17 after taking down then-No. 22 Dayton on Friday night.
Cincinnati was able to take advantage of 17 offensive boards, which led to 18 second-chance points for the Bearcats. Considering Cincinnati only shot 36.2 percent from the floor, its second-chance points and defensive effort proved to be the difference.
With the team’s leading scorer, Simas Lukosius, only averaging 14.9 points per game, the Bearcats need to keep attacking the glass, making the most of second-chance opportunities and playing effective defense going forward.
Purdue, UCLA fall after losses
It was a brutal performance from the Purdue Boilermakers against Auburn on Saturday, resulting in them dropping down to No. 21 in the poll.
Purdue (8-4) shot 33 percent in the first half of the game, which was its lowest in a half all season. Purdue could not slow down the Tigers, allowing them to make an impressive 54.5 percent of their shots.
In each of Purdue’s back-to-back losses to then-No. 17 Texas A&M and Auburn, the team’s leading scorer had no more than 16 points in both games. Purdue did not have a player take over in either of those two games, which could be costly for the Boilermakers in close games down the stretch.
The UCLA Bruins (10-2) fell to No. 22 after blowing a 16-point lead against North Carolina in the CBS Sports Classic on Saturday.
UCLA shot 49.1 percent overall and 50 percent from long range. Its turnovers (15) and rebounding deficit, 34-28, did not help, though.
With a big showdown against No. 14 Gonzaga looming on Saturday before UCLA’s debut season in the Big Ten gets into full swing, there is a lot to like about the Bruins if they can close out games better than they did against the Tar Heels.
SEC has an astounding 10 teams in the poll, with the addition of Mississippi State and Arkansas
For the first time since at least the start of the 2012-13 season, one league has 10 ranked teams.
After a convincing road win over then-No. 21 Memphis, 79-66, Mississippi State enters the poll at No. 19. Mississippi State outrebounded Memphis, 46-32, and outscored the Tigers 38-18 in the paint. If that continues, the Bulldogs are going to keep having their way.
With the addition of Arkansas at No. 23, the SEC has 10 teams in the poll. Remember that No. 1 Tennessee (11-0), No. 6 Florida (12-0) and No. 12 Oklahoma (12-0) are all unbeaten, while No. 2 Auburn has made a strong case for the best team in the country and Alabama (10-2) sits at No. 5.
As SEC play gets underway, the records will start to take care of themselves as those teams face one another. However, it is hard to ignore the level of competition in the SEC and how impressive the league has been throughout non-conference play.