On Wednesday, the first USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll was released, and Kentucky basketball came in ranked 23rd. A day later, the women’s Coaches Poll is out, and the Kentucky women’s team is ranked as well at number 22.
Much like Mark Pope, coach Kenny Brooks is in his first season with the Wildcats, and had to build a roster from the top down. He brought in a number of transfers, along with a few Freshman additions to do so.
Related: Kentucky women ranked in AP Top 25
Georgia Amoore was among the big names Brooks brought with him from Virginia Tech. She is a preseason All-SEC player, and brings experience in Brooks’ offense, and leadership. She’s surrounded with plenty of talent, though, as well.
Kentuck’s number 22 ranking is a solid start for the team. They’re the sixth of seven SEC teams to make the top 25. South Carolina is at the top, with the Texas Longhorns, LSU Tigers, and Oklahoma Sooners also in the top 10.
Here is the full top 25:
| Rank | School (Last Year’s Record) | Points | First Place Votes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Carolina (38-0) | 770 | 27 |
| 2 | Connecticut (33-6) | 734 | 3 |
| 3 | Southern California (29-6) | 716 | 1 |
| 4 | Texas (33-5) | 670 | – |
| 5 | Notre Dame (28-7) | 629 | – |
| 6 | UCLA (27-7) | 612 | – |
| 7 | LSU (31-6) | 567 | – |
| 8 | North Carolina State (31-7) | 533 | – |
| 9 | Iowa State (21-12) | 487 | – |
| 10 | Oklahoma (23-10) | 457 | – |
| 11 | Duke (22-12) | 449 | – |
| 12 | Baylor (26-8) | 434 | – |
| 13 | Kansas State (26-8) | 407 | – |
| 14 | Ohio State (26-6) | 405 | – |
| 15 | West Virginia (25-8) | 285 | – |
| 16 | North Carolina (20-13) | 263 | – |
| 17 | Louisville (24-10) | 261 | – |
| 18 | Maryland (19-14) | 254 | – |
| 19 | Florida State (23-11) | 177 | – |
| 20 | Creighton (26-6) | 150 | – |
| 21 | Mississippi (24-9) | 135 | – |
| 22 | Kentucky (12-20) | 106 | – |
| 23 | Nebraska (23-12) | 92 | – |
| 24 | Indiana (26-6) | 75 | – |
| 25 | Alabama (24-10) | 57 | – |