Projected college basketball rankings after Kentucky upset by Tennessee, Providence loses to Villanova
Kentucky basketball went on the road to face a frisky Tennessee team and got tripped up in a big way, shaking up the college basketball rankings.
College hoops was pushed into the forefront with the NFL season subsiding and Tuesday showcased that. One of the biggest matchups was John Calipari’s Kentucky Wildcats making a trip to Knoxville to face the Tennessee Volunteers. Considering they blew out the Vols in Lexington earlier in the year, that shouldn’t have been a concern for Big Blue Nation, right?
Well, as it turns out, Rick Barnes’ team was intent on returning the favor against the Wildcats. From start to finish, the Vols were blitzing UK on both ends of the floor and giving them fits. And whenever Coach Cal’s group tried to make a run, Tennessee had the answer and ultimately secured a dominant 76-63 win that wasn’t even that close for those watching.
And that wasn’t the only big-time game that had a shocking result. Providence, after clawing their way into the top 10, had a home matchup against Villanova. Though they fought valiantly, the Friars couldn’t get over the hump and suffered only their third loss of the season.
Naturally, this is going to cause some movement in the college basketball rankings, which we’re taking a look at our projections now.
College basketball rankings: Projections after Kentucky upset by Tennessee, Villanova knocks off Providence
- Gonzaga Bulldogs
- Auburn Tigers
- Arizona Wildcats
- Purdue Boilermakers
- Kansas Jayhawks
- Baylor Bears
- Kentucky Wildcats
- Duke Blue Devils
- Villanova Wildcats
- Texas Tech Red Raiders
- Providence Friars
- Illinois Fighting Illini
- UCLA Bruins
- Houston Cougars
- Tennessee Volunteers
Kentucky shouldn’t fall that far. They lost to a ranked conference opponent on the road — that’s nothing for any voters to turn their nose up at. And while Providence lost on their home floor, it also came against a top-10 team in the conference. They’ll drop outside of the top 10 but not much farther than that.
All told, these are two big games with relatively shocking results but, at the end of the day, no one should feel all that different about either the Wildcats or Friars. They are both extremely talented and will be certain factors in March.
For more NCAA basketball news, analysis, opinion and features, check out more from the FanSided college basketball section to stay on top of the latest action.
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