TOP 25 REWIND: No. 8 Kentucky rounds into form at right time

AP Basketball Writer

TOP 25 REWIND: No. 8 Kentucky rounds into form at right timeBy JOHN MARSHALL

Kentucky had another roster overhaul entering the 2018-19 season and, like the previous incarnations, expected to need a little time for the all newcomers to jell.

The Wildcats’ time may have come.

Rounding into form at just the right time, No. 8 Kentucky pulled off two impressive victories this week, beating No. 22 Mississippi State and No. 9 Kansas .

The Wildcats (16-3, 5-1 SEC) have won three straight games against AP Top 25 opponents after defeating No. 14 Auburn last weekend.

”Are you getting better individually and as a team? We are,” Kentucky coach John Calipari said. ”We are taking that gradual climb.”

Kentucky’s rise started after a big fall. The Wildcats opened the season with a 34-point blowout loss to Duke , dropping them from preseason No. 2 to No. 10 in the AP Top 25.

Kentucky remained inconsistent after that, following a seven-game winning streak with a loss to Seton Hall , then another loss to Alabama to open SEC play.

The Wildcats have been on a roll since then, stretching their winning streak to six games with their eight-point victory over Kansas in a matchup of college basketball’s two winningest programs.

”We’re winning right now,” said Kentucky’s PJ Washington, who had 20 points and 13 rebounds against the Jayhawks. ”We’re on a roll, and we’re just trying to keep it going and just win all of our next games.”

TOP-RANKED VOLS

The last time Tennessee was No. 1 in the AP Top 25, it lost the next day to Vanderbilt.

History nearly repeated itself.

Back at No. 1 for the first time since 2008, the Vols again faced the Commodores in their first game. Tennessee trailed 76-70 with 1:22 left on Wednesday before Grant Williams rallied the Vols to tie it in regulation. They pulled out an 88-83 victory in overtime thanks to Williams, who made all his 23 free throws – the most without a miss in the NCAA since Oklahoma State’s Arlen Clark made 24 in 1959.

Tennessee again had some stumbles against West Virginia on Saturday, falling into its first double-digit deficit of the season before using a big run to beat the Mountaineers 83-66 . The Vols have won 14 straight, their longest streak since opening the 1922-23 season with 14 wins in a row.

BLUE DEVILS HUMMING

Tennessee’s struggles last week could lead to a few more first-place votes for No. 2 Duke in Monday’s poll.

The Blue Devils received 11 first-place votes last week – the Vols 48 – and rolled in their two games last week, beating Pittsburgh by 15 and Georgia Tech by 13.

Duke was No. 1 until losing to Syracuse at home on Jan. 14.

FADING JAYHAWKS

The loss of Udoka Azubuike to a season-ending wrist injury has led to some inconsistent moments for Kansas.

Without Azubuike, the Jayhawks lack frontcourt depth and a big-body presence in the paint. Kentucky took advantage of Azubuike’s absence on Saturday, outrebounding Kansas 49-36 in a victory that could knock the Jayhawks out of the top 10.

The good news for Kansas: It was a nonconference game. Kansas is still tied atop the Big 12 standings with Kansas State at 5-2 in its bid for a 15th straight conference title.

More AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/Collegebasketball and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25

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