KenPom 2021-22 preseason rankings tab Kentucky MBB at No. 17

It’s officially rankings season. The start of college basketball is just a few weeks away and we have yet another preseason projection of how this year will shape out. Ken Pomeroy of KenPom.com unveiled his 2022 college basketball ratings on Sunday morning and his numbers have the Kentucky Wildcats coming in at No. 17.

Pomeroy’s formula believes that Kentucky will produce the 15th best adjusted offense (111.5) and 26th best defense (90.6) in the nation for the 2021-22 season.

KenPom 2021-22 preseason rankings/forecast published this morning. Here’s the top 40. pic.twitter.com/BjjmU2iYMU

— Matt Norlander (@MattNorlander) October 17, 2021

Pomeroy has Kentucky projected to finish 22-9 on the season and 11-7 in the Southeastern Conference, which would earn UK a five-seed in the 2022 NCAA Tournament. KenPom is lower on the ‘Cats than the folks over at ESPN, which has Kentucky at No. 9 heading into the season. The preseason AP Poll, which was released on Monday, slotted Kentucky at No. 10.

KenPom Top 40

1. Gonzaga
2. Michigan
3. Kansas*
4. Baylor
5. Illinois
6. Purdue
7. UCLA
8. Ohio State*
9. Villanova
10. Duke*
11. Houston
12. Texas Tech
13. Tennesee**
14. Texas
15. Arkansas*
16. Memphis
17. Kentucky
18. Maryland
19. Alabama**
20. Southern California
21. UConn
22. Michigan State
23. Iowa
24. Florida State
25. Florida**
26. Xavier
27. Notre Dame*
28. Auburn*
29. Oregon
30. St. Bonaventure
31. Indiana
32. Loyola Chicago
33. San Diego State
34. San Francisco
35. Colorado
36. Louisville*
37. Oklahoma State
38. Brigham Young
39. Virginia Tech
40. North Carolina

* On Kentucky’s schedule
** On Kentucky’s schedule twice