Monday Headlines: Kentucky in the new college basketball rankings (UPDATE)

NCAA Basketball: Kentucky at Mississippi State — Wesley Hale-Imagn Images

Kentucky responded in a big way on Saturday, but combined with the loss to Georgia, it will be interesting to see where the Cats sit in the latest college basketball rankings.

The Kentucky Wildcats took a slight dip in several rankings this week, despite the fact that they beat No. 15 Mississippi State and lost to No. 23 Georgia.

Those are the rankings in the latest AP Top 25 Poll, which has Kentucky falling down to No. 8. Texas A&M checked in at No. 11, while Alabama is up to No. 4. The women’s AP Poll has the Cats up to No. 12, making UK the only athletics program in college basketball with men’s and women’s teams in the top 12 of the AP Poll.

The Coaches Poll has Kentucky at No. 9, Texas A&M at No. 11, and Alabama at No. 5.

The NET rankings have Kentucky at No. 13, Texas A&M at No. 17, and Alabama at No. 7. The women’s NET has Kenny Brooks’ squad at No. 17.

KenPom has the Cats at No. 21, the Aggies at No. 16, and the Tide at No. 8.

BartTorvik has the men at No. 19 and the women at No. 16.

DRatings has the Cats at No. 18, the Aggies at No. 17, and the Tide at No. 5.

Kentucky basketball split its two games last week, losing in somewhat embarrassing fashion at Georgia before trumping Mississippi State in Starkville on Saturday.

It’s no secret that the Southeastern Conference is a juggernaut this season and that isn’t going to change for the foreseeable future. So, the Wildcats are in for quite a tough stretch but so is every other team in the SEC.

Kentucky did not play well at all against Georgia by playing a rather soft defense and lacking the intensity required to win an SEC road game. However, on Saturday, the Wildcats played fantastic against Mississippi State and were led by Jaxson Robinson’s breakout game that was accompanied by streaky shooting from Ansley Almonor down the stretch.

Their loss to Georgia likely offset their road victory over No. 14 Mississippi State. But with the SEC as tough as it is, that’s not a terrible week.

ESPN’s Basketball Power Index dropped the Wildcats just a bit in their rankings from 16 to 20. EvanMiya also has Kentucky at 20 after ranking them 19 last week.

Kentucky improved in the NCAA Net Rankings, however, rising from 18 to 13. Haslametrics also views the Wildcats as a team on the rise by sliding them from 26 to 23.

Tomorrow, Kentucky will return to Rupp Arena for the first time in 10 days as they host a piping-hot Texas A&M team that swept Kentucky last season but is dealing with an injury to Wade Taylor IV.

The last time the Wildcats saw Taylor was in their first SEC Tournament game last March where he sent them home packing in a rather disappointing loss in Nashville.

Of course, none of the Wildcats playing for this Kentucky team were a part of that loss. However, that doesn’t mean they aren’t itching for a win. It’s an absolute dogfight in the SEC, and every win counts, especially if they can become quality wins that favor NCAA Tournament seeding.

Tuesday night’s game is scheduled for 7 PM ET with coverage on ESPN2. ESPN’s Basketball Power Index gives the Wildcats a 60.6% chance to win.

Also, a big shoutout to the Kentucky women’s basketball program that continued its dominant start to SEC play with blowout wins at Florida and over Auburn last week. It’s past time for the Cats to make the top 10.

Check back here throughout the day for updates on where Kentucky stands in the official rankings!