Just how the 2024-25 Kentucky basketball season will play out is a mystery at this point. After Mark Pope was hired as the new head coach, he had to build an entire roster from scratch, and had to rely on transfers to do so.
Still, it’s Kentucky, and they attracted some of the top players in the transfer portal, and have assembled a veteran team with plenty of players that fit Pope’s system. They have enough talent that the voters for the AP put the Wildcats in the preseason top 25.
Related: Kentucky predicted to land 2025 guard Acaden Lewis
Kentucky is ranked 23rd in the preseason AP Top 25, and they’re the eighth highest SEC team in the rankings. The Alabama Crimson Tide are the top SEC team, ranked second. John Calipari’s new team, Arkansas, comes in at number 16.
The preseason poll is a fun look at how teams are perceived, but they’re no indication of how the season will go. Kentucky hopes to finish much higher than they’re starting, but being ranked after a tumultuous offseason isn’t bad.