Kentucky forward Anthony Davis (23) shoots the ball as Vanderbilt forward Lance Goulbourne (5) defends during the NCAA SEC Men's Basketball Championship at the New Orleans Arena in New Orleans on March 11, 2012. UPI/A.J. Sisco |
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MCLEAN, Va., March 12 (UPI) -- Kentucky heads into the NCAA Tournament as the No. 1-ranked team but the USA Today/ESPN Board of Coaches didn't make it unanimous.
The Wildcats (32-2) were beaten in the Southeastern Conference tournament title game 71-64 by Vanderbilt. That didn't seem to matter to the NCAA Division I Tournament selection committee, which installed Kentucky as the No. 1 overall seed.
But it apparently did to Wisconsin-Milwaukee Coach Rob Jeter, who placed the Wildcats second on his ballot. The other 30 coaches all had Kentucky No. 1. The Wildcats were a unanimous No. 1 the seven previous weeks.
Syracuse (31-2) remains No. 2 while Missouri (30-4), which got Jeter's first-place vote, moves from fifth to third after its Big 12 tournament championship. Michigan State (27-7) is up four spots to fourth after it won the Big Ten tournament.
North Carolina (29-5) drops one place to No. 5, ahead of Kansas (27-6), down three to sixth, while Ohio State (27-7) is again seventh. Duke (27-6) slips two to No. 8 with Murray State (30-1) and Baylor (27-7) both up one to ninth and 10th, respectively.
Marquette (25-7) comes in at 11th while Florida State (24-9) jumps five rungs to 12th after an ACC tournament win. Wisconsin (24-9) is 13th, Michigan (24-9) is at the 14th place and Georgetown (23-8) is No. 15. Those three all are down one place.
St. Mary's (Calif.) (27-5) is 16th with Indiana (25-8) in 17th, Louisville (26-9) taking the 18th spot, Wichita State (27-5) coming in at 19 and Creighton (28-5) at No. 20.
Florida (23-10) is at No. 21 with, in order, New Mexico (27-6), San Diego State (26-7), Vanderbilt (24-10) and Nevada-Las Vegas (26-8) rounding out the Top 25.
Louisville, New Mexico and Vanderbilt weren't ranked a week ago. Notre Dame, Temple and Gonzaga all drop from the ranking.