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Another day, another poll. NBC Sports released its top 25 preseason rankings leading into the college basketball season on Monday, and the Kentucky Wildcats were listed as the No. 2 team.
In every poll released so far, Kentucky has been ranked in one of the top two spots with the Kansas Jayhawks filling the other slot. Both teams have a mix of veteran talent, freshmen potential, and solid coaching. That is a perfect formula for a strong season.
NBC Preseason College Basketball Top 25 Poll
- Kansas Jayhawks
- Kentucky Wildcats
- Gonzaga Bulldogs
- Duke Blue Devils
- Villanova Wildcats
- Nevada Wolf Pack
- Tennessee Volunteers
- Virginia Cavaliers
- North Carolina Tar Heels
- Auburn Tigers
- Kansas State Wildcats
- Virginia Tech Hokies
- Michigan State Spartans
- Florida State Seminoles
- TCU Horned Frogs
- UCLA Bruins
- West Virginia Mountaineers
- Oregon Ducks
- Syracuse Orange
- LSU Tigers
- Mississippi State Bulldogs
- Clemson Tigers
- Michigan Wolverines
- N.C. State Wolfpack
- Marquette Golden Eagles
NBC’s Rob Dauster had this to say about the Wildcats:
“As always, there is quite a bit of turnover on the Kentucky roster. Six key pieces from last year are gone, while the Wildcats bring in yet another loaded recruiting class. I think the combination of incoming backcourt talent and the remaining front court veterans is going to be a fun combination for Kentucky fans to watch, especially when Stanford grad transfer Travis is factored into the mix. The big question for Kentucky is going to be how they can put a team on the floor that can both shoot and play the kind of elite-level defense we all are expecting. Cal has plenty of weapons, and it will be fascinating to see how he decides to deploy them.”
Kentucky is joined in the rankings by SEC opponents Tennessee (7), Auburn (10), LSU (20), and Mississippi State (21).
Kentucky will face Duke at the Champions Classic to open the season on November 6th, and Kansas will take on Michigan state in that same event.
Perhaps after the last buzzer in Indianapolis that night, there will be a clear No. 1 team. Will it be Kansas, Kentucky, or even Duke?