Kentucky and North Carolina each began the season ranked in the top 20 of the AP Top 25 poll and managed to climb even higher throughout November, despite earning no victories of consequence in the season’s first couple weeks. Now, at long last, the Wildcats and Tar Heels have verified their legitimacy with impressive victories over quality opponents.
UK crushed No. 8 Miami 95-73 on Tuesday in one of the single most impressive performances from John Calipari’s program in recent memory. Considering that the Wildcats’ marquee accomplishment prior to obliterating the Hurricanes was a close loss to Kansas, it was a needed dose of validation for a freshman-laden roster.
North Carolina followed up with a dynamite offensive performance in a 100-92 win over No. 10 Tennessee on Wednesday as RJ Davis, Armando Bacot and Harrison Ingram each reached 20 points. That win, combined with Friday’s neutral-site victory over Arkansas in the Battle 4 Atlantis suggest UNC is in for a bounce-back season.
Following their big wins in recent days, Kentucky and North Carolina are also making their first appearances in the CBS Sports power rankings. These aren’t about predicting what’s in store or relying on what happened last season or over the course of history. They’re about who’s doing what on the court — right now — and who they’re doing it against.
With that, here are the latest CBS Sports power rankings.
College basketball power rankings
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