Kentucky drops in ESPN's Way-Too-Early Top 25 (which is still WAY too early)

MrsTylerKSR

The transfer portal is still whirling and we’ve still got another month and a half until the NCAA’s deadline to withdraw from the NBA Draft, but that’s not stopping the national media from weighing in on the 2023-24 college basketball season. This week, two national writers updated their Way-Too-Early Top 25s for next season. Kentucky still has some major decisions hanging in the balance for next year’s roster, but ESPN’s Jeff Borzello went ahead and dropped the Cats from No. 4 to No. 9 in his rankings.

A slew of Wildcats entered the NBA draft, but only Cason Wallace and Jacob Toppin are doing so while forgoing college eligibility. Could Oscar Tshiebwe, Chris Livingston and Antonio Reeves all return to Lexington? The most intriguing is obviously Tshiebwe, the consensus National Player of the Year in 2022. John Calipari is also bringing in the nation’s No. 1-ranked recruiting class, with dynamic perimeter scorers Justin Edwards, D.J. Wagner and Robert Dillingham all likely to make early impacts.
Jeff Borzello, ESPN

To all of us on the Kentucky beat, it seems Livingston wants to stay in the draft, but Borzello includes the rising sophomore in his projected starting lineup alongside four freshmen:

Robert Dillingham (No. 11 in ESPN 100)
D.J. Wagner (No. 2 in ESPN 100)
Justin Edwards (No. 1 in ESPN 100)
Chris Livingston (6.3 PPG)
Aaron Bradshaw (No. 4 in ESPN 100)

Following the news that Kyle Filipowski will return to Duke for another season, Borzello moved the Blue Devils from No. 3 to No. 1 in his rankings. Marquette is No. 2 and Michigan State No. 3. From the SEC, Arkansas is No. 8, Kentucky No. 9, Alabama No. 11, Tennessee No. 17, and Texas A&M No. 18. Auburn is second on his list of the “Next In Line.”

Over at CBS Sports, Gary Parrish kept Kentucky at No. 13 in his updated Top 25, but that’s contingent on Oscar Tshiebwe returning for a final season.

This ranking is based on the Wildcats enrolling the nation’s top-ranked recruiting class featuring four five-star prospects – among them Justin Edwards, DJ Wagner and Aaron Bradshaw — to pair with a returning core headlined by two-time All-American Oscar Tshiebwe. It’s a roster that could give John Calipari a realistic chance to return to the Final Four for the first time since 2015.
Gary Parrish, CBS Sports

UConn is No. 1 on his list, followed by Purdue, Marquette, Duke, and Florida Atlantic.

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Kentucky Basketball 2023-24 Roster Tracker

So, about those NBA Draft and transfer portal decisions. Yesterday, we updated our Roster Tracker with the latest on Oscar Tshiebwe’s decision and, in turn, whether or not Michigan transfer Hunter Dickinson may join the roster. You can read Jack Pilgrim’s entire report here, but simply put, it’s a complicated situation on all sides.

Oscar is still waiting to work out for NBA teams to get the feedback he needs to make his decision. Dickinson has informed Kentucky’s staff he’s interested in being a Wildcat but visits Kansas tomorrow. Kentucky would take Dickinson’s commitment but doesn’t want to get into a bidding war. If they do, where does that leave Oscar if he wants to return to school? In times like these, I’m glad I’m not the one making the call.