Where Kentucky stands in WAY too early Top 25

Even before the current season ends, the next college basketball season is already beginning.

Recruits are committing. Dudes are declaring for the draft. Rosters are being solidified. And teams are already being ranked.

According to the Sporting News, Kentucky will once again start the year as one of the top teams in the land.

There are still some big recruits that John Calipari is seeking for next season, and there are some current guys with tough decisions to make about the NBA. In fact, that goes for just about every team in the top ten of this list.

But based on what we know right now, Mike DeCourcy of Sporting News has ranked Kentucky as the No. 3 team in the country going into next season.

3. Kentucky

2018-19 record and finish: 30-7, Elite Eight

Key players: PG Ashton Hagans, C Nick Richards, PF EJ Montgomery, PG Immanuel Quickley, SG Jemarl Baker

Top-100 recruits: SF Kahlil Whitney (247Sports No. 7), CG Tyrese Maxey (247Sports No. 9), SF Keion Brooks (247Sports No. 23), PF Nate Sestina (grad transfer, Bucknell)

Key decisions: SG Tyler Herro is projected No. 26 pick by Chris Stone; he can do better with another year.

Decourcy is projecting that PJ Washington and Keldon Johnson are locks for the NBA Draft, but he believes Herro should come back and try to improve his stock. Will Herro take the PJ route and return for the chance to be an All-American? Or will he take the money as a first round selection in the 2019 NBA Draft?

Here is the rest of the Sporting News way too early top 25:

1. Virginia Cavaliers
2. Michigan State Spartans
3. Kentucky Wildcats
4. Michigan Wolverines
5. Duke Blue Devils
6. Oregon Ducks
7. Marquette Golden Eagles
8. Tennessee Volunteers
9. Purdue Boilermakers
10. Auburn Tigers
11. Louisville Cardinals
12. Kansas Jayhawks
13. LSU Tigers
14. North Carolina Tar Heels
15. Ohio State Buckeyes
16. Florida State Seminoles
17. Houston Cougars
18. VCU Rams
19. Cincinnati Bearcats
20. Gonzaga Bulldogs
21. Iowa Hawkeyes
22. Arizona Wildcats
23. Seton Hall Pirates
24. Maryland Terrapins
25. Memphis Tigers

Read the entire article here, which breaks down which players each team is losing and bringing in.