Kentucky not included in Way-Too-Early Top 25s after early roster build

Kentucky fans hold up signs for Mark Pope at his introductory press conference - Aaron Perkins, Kentucky Sports Radio

It’s been almost a month since the 2023-24 college basketball season ended. With the transfer portal now closed and over three weeks until the NBA Draft withdrawal deadline (May 29), several outlets are releasing updated “Way Too Early” Top 25 rankings for the 2024-25 season. So far, Kentucky isn’t included in any of them.

With just nine players on the roster and some big fish still in the sea, that’s not terribly surprising. Mark Pope told Tom Leach on Friday that Kentucky is still pursuing a few players currently testing the NBA Draft waters. One is almost certainly former BYU star Jaxson Robinson, who will participate in the NBA Draft combine next week. Shooting guard Wooga Poplar and point guard Kadary Richmond, who have both been in contact with Kentucky, will participate in the G League Elite Camp prior to the Combine. There are a handful of other targets out there with reported UK interest, including North Florida transfer guard Chaz Lanier, who heard from the staff at the end of last week.

Where Kentucky lands in the rankings once the roster is complete remains to be seen; however, currently, there are some familiar names at the top. Both ESPN’s Jeff Borzello and CBS Sports’ Gary Parrish have Kansas as the preseason No. 1 team, with On3’s James Fletcher III giving the top spot to Alabama instead. Houston and UConn are other popular top-five picks.

Duke, Kentucky’s opponent in the Champions Classic, and Gonzaga, whom the Cats will play in Seattle, also made each top ten. Kentucky will obviously face Alabama and Auburn in the SEC, along with Texas A&M, Tennessee, Texas, and Florida, other preseason Top 25 squads. Ohio State, Kentucky’s opponent in the CBS Sports Classic and Aaron Bradshaw’s new school, is No. 21 in ESPN’s rankings and No. 14 per CBS Sports.

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What about Arkansas? Only ESPN has the Razorbacks in the Top 25 — at No. 25 to be exact — but each of the rankings came out before today’s news that former Cat Adou Thiero will follow John Calipari to Fayetteville. With Thiero in the fold, Calipari now has seven players on his roster.

For what it’s worth, Jon Rothstein ranked Kentucky’s current roster of seven players No. 42 in his “Rothstein 45” daily rankings. His projected starting five: Kerr Kriisa, Koby Brea, Otega Oweh, Andrew Carr, and Amari Williams.

Check out each of the Top 10s below. And cross your fingers for some big booms in the coming weeks.

ESPN