Kentucky basketball unofficially one of 12 teams who can win the national championship

This week’s AP Poll is considered the most important poll of the season, which is a huge statement to make because, in many ways, it feels like just another week. The reason it’s so important is subtle but crazy to think about—since 2004, the winner has always come from the top 12 teams in this week’s rankings.

The AP Poll has predicted the National Champion from a group of 12 teams for 20 straight years. Thus, historically, being inside the top-12 in week six is important. As the title suggests, Kentucky basketball is unofficially one of 12 teams that can win the national championship this year as they fall inside that top 12, ranking at number five.

Here’s a list of the top 12 teams:

1. Tennessee
2. Auburn
3. Iowa State
4. Duke
5. Kentucky
6. Marquette
7. Alabama
8. Gonzaga
9. Florida
10. Kansas
11. Purdue
12. Oregon

There are a lot of things to note here, and maybe most notably that it sucks to be Oklahoma this week, who comes in at number 13. They will have to break the odds and the 20 year streak if they want to see the championship banner in their gym.

There are five SEC teams in this top twelve (really in the top 10), and that’s a good sign that the winner of the National Championship statistically should come out of the SEC conference. The conference is the strongest it has been in years in basketball.

If it wasn’t for the outlier of Villanova winning the National Championship in 2015-2016 as the 12th-ranked team in week six. This list would shrink even more to the top nine. And would shrink again because that is only one team too, UCONN was ranked ninth in 2013-2014. The top seven in the week six poll is the most important for winning a banner and hoisting the final trophy. Kentucky falls comfortably in the top seven. The bad news is that only one team ranked fifth in the week six poll has won the national championship in the last 20 years. That was UCONN last season.