Although many teams eventually fell behind, Tennessee made it through the first SEC weekend unscathed.

Here’s everything you missed from Week 9 of the college basketball season, plus the latest Associated Press men’s basketball poll.

Tennessee remains strong even if the SEC is eliminated

Tennessee is the last undefeated team in the country.

The Volunteers defeated Arkansas on Saturday to improve to 14-0, matching their best start in program history more than 100 years ago. This kept them at No. 1 in this week’s poll. They have now been at the top of the national rankings for five weeks in a row, setting a school record.

Although things get increasingly difficult for Tennessee as conference play gets underway – starting with a battle against Florida on Tuesday night – the Vols initially have the edge in the SEC. This could come in handy later.

While Auburn and Alabama both won last week, Florida and Oklahoma both ended up losing for the first time this season. No. 6 Kentucky beat the Gators 106-100 behind 23 points and seven 3-pointers off the bench from Koby Brea. It was the highest-ranked opponent the Gators have played all season, and it dropped them two spots to No. 8.

Although Florida largely matched Kentucky in the loss, the Sooners completely failed against the Crimson Tide. Alabama earned a nearly 30-point win over Oklahoma on Saturday. Mark Sears dropped 22 points and added 10 assists in the win, which marked their sixth straight. The Sooners, off to their best start in three decades, fell five spots to No. 17 this week.

There is no doubt that the SEC’s top brass is among the best in the country. However, the second group of teams still have work to do to prove they belong. If Florida can’t keep up with Tennessee on Tuesday night and Oklahoma doesn’t immediately overcompensate against No. 10 Texas A&M on Wednesday, their starts could be for naught.

Kansas is recovering

Bill Self and the Jayhawks have put their terrible loss to West Virginia behind them.

After holding a single-point lead over the Mountaineers on New Year’s Eve, Kansas pulled off a wild 51-point win over UCF on Sunday. It was the second-largest margin of victory in program history and it was a perfect rebound.

Hunter Dickinson dropped 27 points, including 21 in the first 20 minutes, and nine rebounds in the win. The Jayhawks shot nearly 51% from the field and nearly doubled UFC’s rebounding rating. The Knights aren’t bad either, which makes the win all the more impressive. They entered the game with a record of 10-2, which included wins over Texas A&M and Texas Tech. But nothing worked and they seemed completely outmatched.

Kansas moved up to No. 11 in this week’s poll. The Jayhawks are the second-ranked Big 12 team behind No. 3 Iowa State, which they will face next week at Hilton Coliseum in Ames. Assuming the Jayhawks get past Arizona State and Cincinnati this week, this matchup should be one of the best of the season.

Games to watch this week

Tuesday, January 7th

No. 1 Tennessee at No. 8 Florida | 7pm ET | ESPN2

Wednesday, January 8th

No. 10 Texas A&M at No. 17 Oklahoma | 9pm ET | SEC

Saturday, January 11th

No. 11 Kansas at Cincinnati | 2 p.m. ET | ESPN+

No. 5 Alabama and No. 10 Texas A&M | 8pm ET | ESPN

No. 6 Kentucky at No. 14 Mississippi State | 8:30 p.m. | SEC

AP Top 25

The complete Associated Press men’s basketball poll as of January 6, 2025.

1. Tennessee (14-0)

2. Auburn (13-1)

3. Iowa State (12-1)

4. Duke (12-2)

5. Alabama (12-2)

6. Kentucky (12-2)

7. Marquette (13-2)

8. Florida (13-1)

9. UConn (12-3)

10. Texas A&M (12-2)

11. Kansas (10-3)

12. Houston (10-3)

13. Illinois (11-3)

14. Mississippi State (13-1)

15.Oregon (13-2)

16. Michigan State (12-2)

17. Oklahoma (13-1)

18. Gonzaga (12-4)

19. Memphis (12-3)

20. Purdue (11-4)

21. West Virginia (11-2)

22. UCLA (11-3)

23. Ole Miss (12-2)

24. Michigan (11-3)

25. Utah State (14-1)

Others receiving votes: Pittsburgh 91, Arkansas 62, Nebraska 62, Baylor 32, Wisconsin 31, St. John’s 27, San Diego State 26, Cincinnati 22, Clemson 19, Maryland 7, Georgia 6, St. Bonaventure 6, Texas Tech 6, Indiana 6, Missouri 5, Arizona 3, Dayton 1, Georgetown 1, Vanderbilt 1, Xavier 1