NCAA Basketball: Arizona, Baylor, and BYU rise in latest top 25 power rankings

14. Kentucky (21-8)

There has been no shortage of drama at Kentucky this season and especially in recent weeks. There’s plenty of talent in Lexington once again and this squad boasts one of the nation’s top offenses. However, they’ve lost several games at home this season and the defense has been utterly poor.

The Wildcats clawed out of an 8-point halftime hole on Tuesday to get an important 91-89 win at Mississippi State. Reed Sheppard was explosive with 32 points off the bench while Antonio Reeves added 21. That poor defense was on full display this weekend as Kentucky survived a shootout with Arkansas, winning 111-102 in Lexington. Among the highlights were 22 points from Reeves and 19 points from D. J. Wagner.

Kentucky had a rough stretch a few weeks ago though it’s clear that their effort on defense is still pretty rough. Though the Wildcats have won three games in a row, they’ve given up an average of 95 points in those three efforts and that will not work in the postseason. Excitement should be growing in Kentucky, though it’ll be interesting to see how they fare in their regular-season finale at Tennessee.