Where Kentucky stands in Dick Vitale and Jeff Borzello hoops rankings

College basketball season is just over two weeks away, and there is no shortage of opinions about who should be the best team in the country.

Across the board, the Kentucky Wildcats have come in at either No. 1 or No. 2 in every major poll. ESPN dropped two sets of rankings this week, both listing Kentucky at No. 2.

Jeff Borzello released the ESPN college basketball preseason power rankings, giving his take on the top 25 teams in the country. He opened by defending his choice for the No. 1 ranking, giving the Kansas Jayhawks the nod due to the experience on their roster.

They certainly have experienced players on their roster, bringing in several talented transfers. Yet, there is no mention of the cloud of suspicion and corruption hanging over the program.

In fact, Silvio de Sousa is listed as a key piece for the team going into the season. His eligibility is absolutely in question at this point. Perhaps he will adjust these rankings once (if?) Kansas starts taking action concerning the testimony at the trial concerning the pay for play schemes.

Regardless, he still had great things to say about the Wildcats and believes this could be a special group.

“The buzz coming out of Lexington is through the roof heading into the season,” Borzello wrote. “One source said this year’s team is more balanced -- not better, but more balanced -- than the 38-1 team from 2015. John Calipari’s teams tend to hit their stride late in the season, but this one should be ready to compete for the No. 1 spot from day one.”

ESPN College Basketball Power Rankings

1. Kansas Jayhawks
2. Kentucky Wildcats
3. Gonzaga Bulldogs
4. Nevada Wolf Pack
5. Duke Blue Devils
6. North Carolina Tar Heels
7. Auburn Tigers
8. Tennessee Volunteers
9. Villanova Wildcats
10. Michigan State Spartans
11. Oregon Ducks
12. Virginia Cavaliers
13. Syracuse Orange
14. Virginia Tech Hokies
15. Kansas State Wildcats
16. LSU Tigers
17. Mississippi State Bulldogs
18. Washington Huskies
19. Florida State Seminoles
20. UCLA Bruins
21. West Virginia Mountaineers
22. Marquette Golden Eagles
23. NC State Wolfpack
24. Alabama Crimson Tide
25. St. John’s Red Storm

Dick Vitale had similar things to say about the Jayhawks and the Wildcats. And as much as Dickie V. tweets about the college basketball scandal, you know he would never call an actual coach out.

Dick Vitale’s preseason Top 40

1. Kansas Jayhawks
2. Kentucky Wildcats
3. Tennessee Volunteers
4. Duke Blue Devils
5. Gonzaga Bulldogs
6. Michigan State Spartans
7. Nevada Wolf Pack
8. North Carolina Tar Heels
9. Virginia Cavaliers
10. Villanova Wildcats
11. Kansas State Wildcats
12. Syracuse Orange
13. Oregon Ducks
14. Mississippi State Bulldogs
15. Auburn Tigers
16. Virginia Tech Hokies
17. TCU Horned Frogs
18. UCLA Bruins
19. West Virginia Mountaineers
20. Michigan Wolverines
21. Florida State Seminoles
22. Marquette Golden Eagles
23. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
24. Florida Gators
25. Indiana Hoosiers
26. LSU Tigers
27. Purdue Boilermakers
28. Clemson Tigers
29. Washington Huskies
30. Cincinnati Bearcats
31. Loyola-Chicago Ramblers
32. Vanderbilt Commodores
33. Nebraska Cornhuskers
34. Houston Cougars
35. St. John’s Red Storm
36. USC Trojans
37. NC State Wolfpack
38. Arizona Wildcats
39. Texas Tech Red Raiders
40. UCF Knights

The official AP poll will be released on Monday, and a week after that we will see most of these teams in action. When this gets all sorted out, where do you think Kentucky belongs on these lists?