NCAA Basketball Power Rankings: Illinois rises, Dayton keeps impressing

Kentucky picked up a pair of solid victories this week to remain firmly in the Top 25 by taking down Georgia (home) and Texas Tech (away). With that said, though, I did not shoot the Wildcats up my rankings too far despite their victory over Texas Tech. This is not meant as any slight towards UK, though, as I’m just not a major believer in TTU and I am unsure just how well that win will age in the coming months. Texas Tech was not ranked in my Top 25 last week (as it was in the AP poll).

Winning a true road game in a raucous environment was quite impressive, though.

Nick Richards, most notably, is emerging as a star for this team. He posted a big-time game against Texas Tech and has been a consistent contributor in the frontcourt.

Although Kentucky is usually a team led by freshman, its top three leading scorers this season are all in their second or third years with the program. Richards, a junior, is leading the team with 14.3 points and 8.1 rebounds per game while a pair of sophomores in Immanuel Quickley and Ashton Hagans are right behind him.

It is also important to mention that although Hagans is third on the team in scoring, he makes his biggest impact on the defensive end. There are very few guards in the nation as disruptive as Hagans on the perimeter as he should be a legitimate contender to be named the best defender in the country. He is a huge reason for Kentucky’s success because of his two-way capabilities.