Mizzou Rises into AP Top 25 After Win vs. Kentucky

With a 12-1 record, the Missouri Tigers are finally ranked.

For the first time this season, Missouri Tigers men's basketball is in the AP Top 25.

The newest release of the rankings dropped on Monday and has the Tigers ranked at No. 20, marking it the first time in the coach Dennis Gates era that Mizzou has made it into the AP Top 25.

This rise into the polls comes on the heels of Mizzou's convincing 89-75 win over the then-No. 19 Kentucky Wildcats on Wednesday. The win for the Tigers knocked Kentucky out of the rankings.

Other SEC teams currently ranked in Monday's release include the No. 7 Alabama Crimson Tide, the No. 8 Tennessee Volunteers, the No. 13 Arkansas Razorbacks and the No. 22 Auburn Tigers.

The win over Kentucky now marks back-to-back wins over ranked opponents for Mizzou, as the Tigers obliterated the then-No. 16 Illinois Fighting Illini 93-71 on Dec. 22. An argument could be made that Missouri should've risen up into the polls after dominating a ranked Illinois team, but all that matters at this point is Mizzou's impressive 12-1 record, with the only loss coming at the hands of the No, 3 Kansas Jayhawks.

The tests only get tougher for the Tigers, as they'll take on Arkansas in Fayetteville on Wednesday, serving as a chance for Mizzou to secure three straight ranked wins. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. CT.

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You can follow Zach Dimmitt on Twitter at @ZachDimmitt7

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