Kentucky took the biggest nosedive in the history of the AP basketball poll this week, going from the No. 8 spot to unranked following losses to Notre Dame and Baylor.

The loss to Notre Dame was explicable — it is one of the few true road games ever played by the Wildcats outside of the SEC, and as Indiana showed last year, bad things are liable to happen to the ‘Cats in those scenarios.

The home loss was a little more stunning. It was the first in John Calipari’s three years at the helm, snapping a 55-game home winning streak. Baylor’s no chump, but not even winning in Lexington was enough juice to get the Bears into the Top 25. In fact, they were entering the game on the heels of a loss to College of Charleston.

The bad news for Kentucky haters like me? It’s December, and rankings mean absolutely nothing.

As is now always the case with Coach Cal at UK, the Wildcats aren’t so much a team as a collection of the nation’s most promising freshman players.

They will take their lumps in the beginning with the goal of becoming a powerhouse in March. More likely than not, that’s exactly what will happen — though one of these years chemistry is bound to become an issue with a group of multiple stars who have never played together.

I’m hoping it’s this year, of course. But I’ll be surprised if I’m still laughing at the end of the season.

Duncan Steel | Elite.