Pope's Cats begin season at No. 9 in AP Top 25 Poll

1 - pope fired up better _C6A0974 — Kentucky head coach Mark Pope reacted to the fans during his introduction at Big Blue Madness. (Jeff Drummond/Cats Illustrated)

With the 2025-26 college basketball season just a little more than three weeks away, Kentucky finds itself in a familiar spot.

The Wildcats were tabbed ninth in the preseason AP Top 25 Poll on Monday, marking the 58th time in program history that UK has been ranked among the nation’s top teams leading into the year.

Kentucky leads all programs with 992 appearances in the weekly poll, which is in its 77th season.

Mark Pope‘s Cats are preparing to face the No. 1 team in the preseason poll, Purdue, in their first exhibition game on Oct. 24 at Rupp Arena.

Ten UK opponents enter the season ranked in the AP Top 25, including Florida (No. 3), St. John’s (No. 5), Louisville (No. 11), Arkansas (No. 14), Alabama (No. 15), Tennessee (No. 18), Auburn (No. 20), Gonzaga (No. 21), and Michigan State (No. 22).

Several other opponents — Indiana, Texas, Ole Miss, Missouri, Vanderbilt, Mississippi State, and Oklahoma — are also receiving votes in the poll.