AP Poll Released

[UK67KU59]

UK ranked 23rd

NCAA College Basketball Rankings: AP Top 25 Basketball Poll

The official page for the AP Top 25 men's college basketball poll. Keep up to date and view the latest NCAA men's basketball ranking updates each week for the 2023-24 season.

apnews.com

 

[BlueBomb]

Regardless of how much everyone is currently in love with Pope, if we finish the season outside the Top 20, this board will implode.

 

[mcwildcats04]

UK ranked 23rd

NCAA College Basketball Rankings: AP Top 25 Basketball Poll

The official page for the AP Top 25 men's college basketball poll. Keep up to date and view the latest NCAA men's basketball ranking updates each week for the 2023-24 season.

apnews.com

Why is Gonzaga ranked so high? Don't think they brought in some special recruiting class and don't recall them getting a lot of big name transfers to go with a team that was one of their weaker ones last year (I know they beat our former coach).

Also, not buying the Purdue love with Edey gone.

 

[Cawood86]

Welp......gotta earn it anyway

 

[Smashcat]

 

[Wonky]

Regardless of how much everyone is currently in love with Pope, if we finish the season outside the Top 20, this board will implode.

Not.

 

[anonymous_2011]

I think that's a fair preseason rating. New team. New Coach. No highly ranked freshmen.

Hopefully they use it as more motivation.

 

[Wonky]

Its funny to me that we have the same odds to win the title (+3000) as 3 other teams, yet those teams are ranked 10th, 11th, and 16th, respectively.

 

[Smashcat]

 

[Titpwhami2014]

If the team is offended as much as I’m offended…it’s going to be a great season.

 

[know1]

Regardless of how much everyone is currently in love with Pope, if we finish the season outside the Top 20, this board will implode.

We won't finish outside the top 20.

 

[YankeeCpt]

considering the fact we have a brand new coach and a brand new roster- let us earn it.
it's Kentucky against all ya'll anyway!!!

 

[Lempface]

Regardless of how much everyone is currently in love with Pope, if we finish the season outside the Top 20, this board will implode.

You think so? My mentality is anything good we do this year is gravy.

 

[bowfreak]

If anyone thinks UK will be the 8th best team in the SEC, they are methed up....

 

[Bkocats]

I’m good with it
it’s very fair

 

[Eagles_Ball]

I think this graphic alone explains why the Cats are ranked where they are. The SEC is a meat grinder this season. Pope may have done what he did at BYU last season in a tough BigXII, but man this league is no joke.

 

[Eagles_Ball]

If anyone thinks UK will be the 8th best team in the SEC, they are methed up....

I tend to agree, I think it'll be higher. But the 8th best team in the SEC is likely to be a top 25 team.

 

[UKWildcats1987]

These polls are meaningless. Just like in football with the playoff poll being the one relevant poll, the ncaa committee February top 16 and then official ncaa tournament reveal are all that matters for basketball.

Just take it 1 game at a time and see what happens. It's an extremely difficult schedule so will be full of challenging and entertaining matchups.

 

[SemperFiCat]

I think this graphic alone explains why the Cats are ranked where they are. The SEC is a meat grinder this season. Pope may have done what he did at BYU last season in a tough BigXII, but man this league is no joke.

Solid point.

 

[AJG-15]

To be honest , I am surprised that we are ranked at all.

Well, let’s try to look at this from a different perspective:
- new coach , while we are very excited about him as Kentucky fun base, he does not have onhis resume a final four or conference title; compare that to the other coaches that are ranked above us in SEC;
- team is all new, while made up quickly 2-3 weeks from portal exclusively and the players have experience it’s still new team that is unproven commodity;
- the players that make up the team are not your typical highly ranked players that everyone was used to see at Kentucky. They might lack certain attributes that NBA scouts are looking for but Coach Pope likes them and we entrusted him with our unconditional full support to rebuild the program.
- lately, Kentucky was not the exact world beaters thanks to Coach Cal and that affects the optics of the pollsters.

Here is the good news: according to the current ranking ,, we are going to play at least 12 ranked teams and have plenty of chances to prove the pollsters wrong.

 

[Cold Stout Beer]

Regardless of how much everyone is currently in love with Pope, if we finish the season outside the Top 20, this board will implode.

Who gives a crap if internet users in a chat room freak out?

 

[BBUK]

Regardless of how much everyone is currently in love with Pope, if we finish the season outside the Top 20, this board will implode.

Nah, not at all. expectations high is NO issue. The Kentucky fan base is back in force. Kentucky fans KNOW basketball. If a good team is put on the floor and loses, Kentucky fans know why. Coach Pope has been open to UK and the fans. Kentucky fans are NOT stupid, they are near experts in the game (Minus me though.) I just love UK and what it means to so many including me...

 

[BBUK]

I’m good with it
it’s very fair

Oh hush.. 😁

 

[Cats192]

I think 23 is fair.

I think we're a top 15 team. Maybe we get to top 10 with coaching and if the guys gel together well.
I think there's a lot of unknown with us, and that causes us to slide. I think we'll finish higher at the end of the regular season.

If we don't, I think most will show Pope some grace. It's his 1st season. He had to build the roster from scratch.

 

[JPFisher]

I think 23 is our floor, overall. The SEC has eight teams in the top 25 and we play a few OOC big boys.

Some might be concerned with the hit or miss nature of relying on threes, but I trust that we can go to the post with this team if the shots just aren't falling. That's a luxury BYU didn't have last year.

The team that Pope has assembled is far and away more athletic than last year's Cougs. The teams we'll have in future seasons will be even more athletic.

Pope's system works. How well it works with burger boys and experienced players is something nobody knows.

Yet.

That said, I'm happy with where we are and look forward to a challenging season.

 

[Bleedin Blue in Ohio]

I would much rather start the season lower ranked, and the team earn their way to the top. Then how many times they started the season ranked 1 or top 5 and then have embarrassing losses like last year or the last few years.

 

[nickhorvathsuxazz]

It's impossible for me to rank the Cats on a scale against other teams because at this point in time I have zero knowledge as to the roster of 99% of other teams. I just don't keep up w/ other teams' off-season movement/recruitment.

What I do know is that I like the way Pope constructed our roster-2 deep at every spot w/ grown men who can all shoot the ball. And all assembled from scratch in 6 or 8 weeks? I believe we'll be crazy good w/in that context.

 

[ukjenning44]

View embedded media

The SEC is no joke. I’m so glad the imposter is gone!!

 

[bowfreak]

I tend to agree, I think it'll be higher. But the 8th best team in the SEC is likely to be a top 25 team.

I can't see the SEC having 8 teams in the top 25 for very long. The league will be very strong but I can't see 8 top 25 teams. At least a 1/3 of that list will drop out by mid season, possibly even half. Other teams from other leagues will have good seasons and deserve to be there. Some will be extremely over-valued.

 

[uky8unc5]

Find me a betting site that's offering even odds on UK over/under 8th.

I'm in for $1 million.

 

[UK67KU59]

I like having a chip on our shoulder to start the season. I think Pope and the team will thrive having to climb the hill to the top.

 

[un4getables]

Regardless of how much everyone is currently in love with Pope, if we finish the season outside the Top 20, this board will implode.

Oh ….ok. Thanks for the heads up

 

[ACT ONE]

Pressure will be on everyone else for a change.