Kentucky has played nine games this season but only one time against a power-conference opponent. And the Wildcats lost that game 65-61 to Kansas in Chicago. So it's still hard to gauge exactly what John Calipari has in Lexington.
Is UK a legitimate top-10 team right now?
Or is this still very much a work-in-progress?
It's possible the answer to both of those questions is … yes. And that's among the reasons I'm looking forward to watching UK test itself against a top-125 KenPom opponent for the first since in more than a month when the Wildcats meet Virginia Tech on Saturday inside Rupp Arena. Buzz Williams' Hokies are 9-1 and ranked 29th at KenPom. If Kentucky beats them, Kentucky will remain in the top 10 of the CBS Sports Top 25 (and one). But a loss would drop the Wildcats to 0-2 against top-50 KenPom teams and probably result in a significant fall in the rankings.
Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m. ET.
Friday's updated Top 25 (and one)
Biggest Movers
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | The Wildcats own wins over Gonzaga, Tennessee and Temple. Eight of their 11 wins have come by double-digits. | -- | 18-16 |
| 2 |  | The Sun Devils' perfect record features four top-50 KenPom wins. ASU beat Kansas and Xavier both by double-digits. | -- | 14-18 |
| 3 |  | The Spartans have won eight straight games since losing to Duke in Chicago. They have victories over North Carolina and Notre Dame. | -- | 20-15 |
| 4 |  | The Tar Heels' lone loss is a neutral-court loss to Michigan State. UNC already owns five top-100 KenPom victories. | -- | 29-8 |
| 5 |  | The Shockers' lone loss is a single-point loss to Notre Dame. They've beaten Baylor, Marquette and Oklahoma State. | -- | 15-19 |
| 6 |  | The Wildcats' only loss is a single-digit loss to Kansas. They'll take a six-game winning streak into Saturday's game with Virginia Tech. | -- | 23-10 |
| 7 |  | The Hurricanes have won seven of their eight games by double-digits. Dewan Huell is averaging 13.1 points and 5.6 rebounds in 21.9 minutes per game. | -- | 15-17 |
| 8 |  | The Aggies' lone loss is a single-digit loss to Arizona. They have four top-55 KenPom victories - among them a 23-point win over West Virginia. | -- | 21-15 |
| 9 |  | The Mountaineers have won nine straight games since their season-opening loss to Texas A&M. Their best win is a win over Virginia. | -- | 9-23 |
| 10 |  | The Cavaliers' lone loss is a single-digit loss at West Virginia. Virginia has the nation's best defensive-efficiency rating. | -- | 23-11 |
| 11 |  | The Blue Devils own three wins over teams also in the Top 25 (and one). Their lone loss is a road loss at Boston College. | -- | 27-9 |
| 12 |  | The Seminoles' perfect record is highlighted by a double-digit win at Florida. FSU's next game is Saturday against Oklahoma State. | -- | 17-16 |
| 13 |  | The Horned Frogs have won 15 straight games dating back to last season. Kenrich Williams is averaging 14.2 points and 10.1 rebounds in 33.6 minutes per game. | -- | 21-13 |
| 14 |  | The Musketeers have won four straight since losing to Arizona State. Two of those wins were over Baylor and Cincinnati. | -- | 16-18 |
| 15 |  | The Zags' two losses are to Villanova and Florida. Gonzaga beat the Washington team that beat Kansas by 27 points. | -- | 27-8 |
| 16 |  | UT's only loss is a single-digit loss to Villanova. The Vols have beaten Purdue and three other top-100 KenPom teams. | -- | 27-9 |
| 17 |  | The Boilermakers have won six straight since losing to Western Kentucky. Purdue owns wins over Arizona, Louisville and Maryland. | -- | 34-5 |
| 18 |  | The Jayhawks have lost back-to-back games for the first time since December 2013. The first loss was to Washington, the second to Arizona State. | -- | 23-11 |
| 19 |  | Notre Dame has gone 2-2 since beating Wichita State in Maui. The losses are to Michigan State and Ball State. | -- | 13-20 |
| 20 |  | The Wildcats have won four straight since losing three straight at the Battle 4 Atlantis. Their last two wins are over Texas A&M and Alabama. | -- | 27-9 |
| 21 |  | The Bears' two losses are to Wichita State and Xavier. Their best win is a neutral-court win over Creighton. | -- | 24-11 |
| 22 |  | The Bluejays' two losses are to Gonzaga and Baylor. They led both of those games at the half. | -- | 25-10 |
| 23 |  | The Pirates' lone loss is a single-point loss to Rhode Island. They own wins over Texas Tech and Louisville. | -- | 25-12 |
| 24 |  | The Red Raiders' lone loss is a loss to Seton Hall. Texas Tech owns a double-digit win over the Boston College team that beat Duke. | -- | 23-11 |
| 25 |  | The Gators snapped their three-game losing streak with a win over Cincinnati. They also own a win over Gonzaga. | -- | 24-12 |
| 26 |  | The Bearcats' two losses are to Xavier and Florida. Their best win is a double-digit victory over Mississippi State. | -- | 22-15 |
