Kentucky Rises To Top Spot In Coaches' Poll, Tar Heels Drop Out

Sports News - January 25th, 2010 - Written By John

John Calipari has taken Kentucky back to the top.

The Wildcats finally claimed the no. 1 spot in the USA Today/Coaches' Poll for the first time since 2004 now that they are the only team in Division I without a loss. They were a unanimous selection as the nation's premier club, receiving all 31 votes and 775 points to lead a powerful top-5 that includes a Kansas team that may be the best of them all when it's said and done.

In Calipari's first season, Kentucky has blitzed an improved SEC conference the last two weeks, including a 31-point route of Arkansas in it's only game last week. After that, all the Wildcats had to do was sit and watch as Texas choked in two-straight games after taking over the top spot last Monday.

It certainly didn't take long for Calipari to deliver on his promise to bring Kentucky back to the top, and is now only the second coach to ever take three different schools to a no. 1 ranking in College Basketball. He also did it with Memphis and Massachussetts.

"I'm just trying to tell our guys it's not a burden, it's a badge of honor. It's something to take pride in, but now there's a bigger bull's-eye," he said.

But an equally intriguing story is the departure of heavy-weight North Carolina from the rankings. The Tar Heels are in the middle of a dismal year, losers of three-straight, after winning last season's National Championship, and are out of the polls for the first time since 2006.

UConn lost three-straight over the last two weeks, but salvaged the no. 19 spot after beating Texas at home on Saturday.

It's conference counterparts, however, have continued to roll as Villanova and Syracuse land at no. 3 and 4.

The Orange will have a big test to keep their ranking, though, as they host 11th-ranked Georgetown in the Carrier Dome Monday night. The Hoyas haven't won at Syracuse for over seven years, losing five-in-a-row since 2003, including a 98-94 overtime thriller last season.

Michigan State, who lost twice early in the year, has bounced back to the fifth spot after winning eight-straight since Dec. 30. The second five is led off by Texas, Duke, Gonzaga, West Virginia and BYU.

The Cougars break into the top-10 after winning 15-straight games, the second-longest current streak after Kentucky's 19.

After Georgetown, Purdue falls in at 12, followed by Kansas State, Tennessee and Temple.