Kentucky Basketball: NCAA.com picks UK over Kansas as nation’s top team

Kentucky is one of three teams getting a ton of hype as the top team in the country this preseason, and that’s continued with a comparison between Kentucky and Kansas by NCAA.com’s Joe Boozell, in which Boozell favors Kentucky.

Boozell favors Kentucky because of the number of potential stars they have.

Kentucky by a hair. It feels like one of Hagans, Johnson or Montgomery will blossom. If that happens, the Wildcats’ ceiling is just a bit higher than the Jayhawks.

Boozell goes in depth with his case for Kentucky, talking about the skill sets of Reid Travis and PJ Washington. He also talks about the talent the team has despite the lack of experience.

But perhaps most importantly, the Wildcats have capable shooters throughout the roster now. There’s no getting around it: Last year’s team was really bad from deep.

Travis and Washington are both face-up forwards who are plus ball-handlers for their size. While there’s some potential overlap in their games, they should work well together thanks to their combined playmaking. Kentucky has way more shooting this year and should improve from behind the 3-point arc immensely. Remember, last season the Wildcats won a tournament game without making a 3. Only seven Division I teams jacked fewer 3s than them last year. A reminder: 3s are good!

This team is just as talented as last year, but has more experience and puzzle pieces that make more sense. It’s going to be a fun year in Lexington.

Boozell says that the team’s drawback is that they don’t have a true star like De’Aaron Fox, John Wall or Anthony Davis; a polarizing talent that can change the game.

You can read the rest of Boozell’s arguments for and against the two here, in which he talks about the Jayhawks’ blend of talent and experience.