Kentucky rose to No. 3 in the updated Coaches Poll on Monday after the Wildcats improved their winning streak to six games last week ahead of a Tuesday showdown with Tennessee. The Volunteers rose five spots to No. 13 in the poll to make the looming rematch of UK's January 107-79 win over Tennessee a top 15 matchup.
Duke also rose a spot to No. 5 in the new poll as the Blue Devils enjoy considerably more respect from the coaches than from the voters who have Duke at No. 9 in the AP Top 25 poll. Arizona came in at No. 4, while Gonzaga and Auburn remained at No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, to round out the poll.
Villanova was among the week's biggest risers as the Wildcats climbed five spots to No. 10 after wins at St. John's and against Seton Hall last week. Their re-entry into the top 10 corresponds with Providence's two-spot rise to No. 9. The two are set to square off Tuesday at Providence in a game that can now be billed as a top 10 showdown.
Houston took the week's biggest tumble as the Cougars dropped from No. 7 to No. 15 following losses at SMU and against Memphis. Purdue was also among the biggest tumblers as the Boilermakers dropped four spots to No. 7 following their blowout loss to Michigan on Thursday and narrow victory against Maryland on Sunday.
In the Big 12, Kansas rose two spots to No. 6 and Baylor rose two spots to No. 8 after a week that saw the two gain a bit of separation from Texas Tech and Texas atop the conference standings. Wyoming and Arkansas joined the Coaches Poll at No. 22 and No. 24, respectively, while Saint Mary's and Wake Forest dropped out.
Coaches Poll
| Rank | Team | Record | Points | Prev. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gonzaga (30) | 21-2 | 798 | 1 |
| 2 | Auburn (2) | 23-2 | 734 | 2 |
| 3 | Kentucky | 21-4 | 731 | 4 |
| 4 | Arizona | 22-2 | 725 | 5 |
| 5 | Duke | 21-4 | 631 | 6 |
| 6 | Kansas | 20-4 | 603 | 8 |
| 7 | Purdue | 22-4 | 596 | 3 |
| 8 | Baylor | 21-4 | 583 | 10 |
| 9 | Providence | 21-2 | 577 | 11 |
| 10 | Villanova | 19-6 | 475 | 15 |
| 11 | Texas Tech | 19-6 | 451 | 9 |
| 12 | Illinois | 18-6 | 441 | 13 |
| 13 | Tennessee | 18-6 | 360 | 18 |
| 14 | UCLA | 17-5 | 358 | 12 |
| 15 | Houston | 20-4 | 351 | 7 |
| 16 | Wisconsin | 19-5 | 328 | 14 |
| 17 | USC | 21-4 | 288 | 21 |
| 18 | Ohio State | 15-6 | 278 | 16 |
| 19 | Michigan State | 18-6 | 244 | 17 |
| 20 | Texas | 18-7 | 170 | 20 |
| 21 | Murray State | 24-2 | 105 | 24 |
| 22 | Wyoming | 21-3 | 94 | NR |
| 23 | Marquette | 16-9 | 87 | 19 |
| 24 | UConn | 17-7 | 68 | 23 |
| 24 | Arkansas | 19-6 | 68 | NR |
Others receiving votes: Alabama 55; Saint Mary's 45; Colorado State 33; Xavier 20; Notre Dame 18; Wake Forest 16; Miami 14; LSU 8; SMU 7; Loyola-Chicago 7; Seton Hall 6; Rutgers 6; Boise State 6; Davidson 4; San Francisco 3; North Carolina 2; Iowa State 2; Iowa 2; TCU 1; Missouri State 1.
