The newest Associated Press poll has been released, and it’s SEC-heavy near the top.
Three teams from the conference have cracked the Top 10, with Florida coming in at No. 6, Kentucky at No. 7, and Texas A&M at No. 9.
The Aggies remain undefeated, while the Gators’ only loss is to No. 1 Duke and Kentucky’s only loss is to No. 2 Kansas.
Alabama also moved up to No. 24 after landing at No. 25 last week.
Arkansas, Tennessee, and Georgia all received votes.
Lovell’s Analysis
It seemed obvious after yesterday’s results that the SEC would get three in the Top 10, and sure enough, that’s what happened.
For a conference that has had its perception beaten up a bit in recent years, this is the step in the right direction that we’ve been predicting for months.
And while we’re still only in late November, it’s clear that the overall strength of the league is as good as it has been in a long time.
While I’m not entirely sure that Georgia has done enough just yet to warrant possible consideration, both Arkansas and Tennessee looked very good for the most part in their respective tournaments this past week.
But those teams at the top – specifically Florida and Texas A&M – are playing as well as anyone in the country right now, and both appear to be legitimate Final Four contenders.
As for Kentucky, while the Cats have struggled at times, the talent is there for them to right there in the mix as always as we move further along in the season.
Although I don’t put a ton of stock in media polls this early in the season, the eye test tells me that all three of those teams are worthy of a spot in the Top 10.
And it wouldn’t be all that surprising to see even more teams from the SEC find their way into the Top 25 in the coming weeks.