Kentucky basketball is on the rise.
Mark Pope’s Wildcats moved up seven spots, from 18th to 11th, in the latest USA TODAY Coaches Poll after beating Duke, 77-72, in the Champions Classic at State Farm Arena in Atlanta during the second week of the college basketball season.
UK (3-0) now leads the all-time series with Duke, 13-11. The Blue Devils (3-1) dropped from sixth to 10th in the coaches poll following the loss.
After three games, Kentucky leads the SEC in scoring (93.3 points per game), assists per game (23.3) and is second in 3-point field goal percentage (.400).
This week, the Wildcats play two games at Rupp Arena — 7 p.m. Tuesday against Lipscomb and 7 p.m. Friday against Jackson State — as part of the BBN Invitational unity series.
This story will be updated Monday afternoon following the release of the latest AP Top 25.
Reach sports reporter Prince James Story at pstory@gannett.com and follow him on X at @PrinceJStory.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky basketball: AP Top 25, new Coaches Poll before UK vs Lipscomb
