The newest college basketball AP poll has been released, with three SEC teams in this week’s rankings.
Auburn, who sits alone atop the SEC standings at 4-0 in conference play, is the highest-ranked team from the league at No. 17.
The Tigers went 2-0 this past week and moved up five spots from last week’s ranking.
AP POLL ALERT: ACC leader Virginia up to No. 2 in AP Top 25 men’s hoops; Purdue rises to No. 3 as Villanova stays at top. See the full poll: https://t.co/wqVmAWczKx pic.twitter.com/yda4TTRM9d
— AP Top 25 (@AP_Top25) January 15, 2018
Meanwhile, Kentucky moved up three spots to No. 18 after knocking off Texas A&M at home and Vanderbilt on the road.
Tennessee remained the poll as well, with the Vols moving up to No. 21.
Lovell’s Analysis
These are the three teams that I have ranked in my own top 25 for the week, so these rankings aren’t surprising.
I have Auburn at No. 14, Tennessee at No. 18, and Kentucky at No. 19.
But while you could swap the latter two around, it’s clear that the Tigers are the best team in the SEC to this point.
Bruce Pearl’s squad has won 14 in a row now, and should they win both games this week (at Alabama and vs. Georgia), they would likely move into my top 10.
Florida is likely the only other SEC team that would be in consideration to make the top 25 for the week, but the loss at Ole Miss moved the Gators back a notch.