Kentucky's opponents in the ratings: January 14

Kentucky made a big jump in both the AP and Coaches Polls, but for the most part, their standing in the KenPom, Sagarin, NET, and ESPN BPI rankings remained the same after wins over Texas A&M and Vanderbilt:

• AP Poll: 12 (Previous: 18)
• Coaches Poll: 14 (Previous: 18)
• Ken Pomeroy Ratings: 13 (Previous: 12)
• Jeff Sagarin Ratings: 13 (Previous: 14)
• NET Rankings: 11 (Previous: 13)
• ESPN Basketball Power Index (BPI): 16 (Previous: 15)

Road wins count more than home wins on the tournament resume, so Kentucky can do itself a lot of favors this week, especially at Auburn on Saturday. Here’s where the Cats’ past and future foes stand in this week’s rankings and ratings:

[table id=257 /]

A few notes:

— I see you, Ole Miss. The Rebel Black Bear Landsharks jumped into both polls this week (AP No. 18/Coaches No. 20) after beating Auburn and Mississippi State. Here’s how the two wins impacted their ratings:

• KenPom: No. 30 (up from No. 42)
• Sagarin: No. 35 (up from No. 43)
• NET: No. 24 (up from No. 35)
• ESPN BPI: No. 39 (up from No. 48)

— How good is Georgia? If you go by the ratings, they’re on par with Kentucky’s most recent foes, Texas A&M and Vandy. Interestingly, the Bulldogs’ 19-point win vs. Vandy and 15-point loss at Auburn did wonders for their KenPom rating, which improved from No. 113 to No. 89.

— Here’s how the Sagarin Predictor sees the next two games, incorporating the home court advantage of 3.08 points:

• Kentucky 87.47, Georgia 81.3 (78.22 + 3.08)
• Auburn 92.18 (89.10 + 3.08), Kentucky 87.47

As the season goes on, I’m going to keep a better eye on the Sagarin Predictor to see how reliable it is.

— South Carolina also got a ratings boost this week, jumping 40 spots in the NET rankings to No. 133 after wins over No. 14 Mississippi State and Missouri.

— Monmouth watch: Another week, another win! King Rice’s Hawks moved to 3-14 with a 65-49 win over Steve Masiello’s Manhattan Jaspers. Fly, Hawks, fly!

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