Question Regarding Pre Season Rankings

[MWes11]

Just saw the Way Too Early ESPN Rankings for next year. (Stupid AF considering we don't yet know which players will enter and stay in the draft). But it has...

1. UK
2. UNC
3. Louisville
4. Nova
5. Florida
6. Wichita St.
7. Duke
8. WVU
9. KU
10. Gonzaga

My question... with what we are losing (Fox/Monk already hired agents, we can expect Bam and Briscoe to be gone, possibly Hump as well) and not really knowing what to expect with the freshman class coming in, do they purposely rank us at the top, or very close to the top, so they can say at the end of the year, if we don't win it, that Cal has failed again?

Just seems ridiculous to put us at 1 without knowing what we are losing and most of our roster not playing 1 second of college ball.

 

[ThroughBlue]

I think they put us up there so high so we can have it counted against us when we end up not being that good

 

[BassProCat]

But those other so called top 9 teams are possibly losing just as much as us and Cal knows how to coach the freshmen unlike other top coaches. But watch unc return Jackson Berry and get Meeks and hicks a fifth year cuz they need the hrs for their degrees haaaaaaaa

 

[WildMoon]

I think part of it is because Coach Cals success.

They naturally think he'll do better than other coaches with young talent. So they don't really care about the loss of the team.

Like I always say everyone has conditional way to view each coaches. Which then hurts Cal after he loses in tourney.

 

[St.PatterSoN-54-]

I think they put us up there because we're going to be really good next year. Does there have to be an agenda with every ranking and game?

 

[DCFseattle]

I think they put us up there because we're going to be really good next year. Does there have to be an agenda with every ranking and game?

Your anti-agenda agenda is starting to piss me off.

 

[caneintally]

UK will be the most talented team next season . UL and UF will be right there as well. UNC isn't even going to be top 15 as I suspect both berry and Jackson go pro and they have nothing coming in . They will lose berry, jackson , Hicks, Meeks,Britt . Basically there whole team.

 

[MWes11]

UK will be the most talented team next season . UL and UF will be right there as well. UNC isn't even going to be top 15 as I suspect both berry and Jackson go pro and they have nothing coming in . They will lose berry, jackson , Hicks, Meeks,Britt . Basically there whole team.

Where is Berry going to go?

I think he comes back.

 

[JFCats22]

Pre-season rankings, especially right now, may be the dumbest damn things I have ever seen.

Literally makes no sense.

 

[Nuke99m]

They put UK up there because they know since Cal got here he usually has the team playing their best ball by the tournament.

 

[JasonS.]

Odds To Win The 2017-18 National Title

Duke, Kentucky and Louisville are the co-favorites to win next year's title, while 2016-17 finalists North Carolina and Gonzaga are given 12-1 odds.

Team Odds Team Odds
Duke 10-1 Florida 20-1
Kentucky 10-1 Indiana 20-1
Louisville 10-1 Michigan 20-1
Gonzaga 12-1 Michigan St. 20-1
Kansas 12-1 Wichita St. 20-1
N. Carolina 12-1 Butler 25-1
Villanova 12-1 W. Virginia 25-1
Arizona 15-1 Virginia 30-1

http://www.espn.com/chalk/story/_/i...-early-favorites-win-2018-men-ncaa-tournament

 

[WildMoon]

Odds To Win The 2017-18 National Title

Duke, Kentucky and Louisville are the co-favorites to win next year's title, while 2016-17 finalists North Carolina and Gonzaga are given 12-1 odds.

Team Odds Team Odds
Duke 10-1 Florida 20-1
Kentucky 10-1 Indiana 20-1
Louisville 10-1 Michigan 20-1
Gonzaga 12-1 Michigan St. 20-1
Kansas 12-1 Wichita St. 20-1
N. Carolina 12-1 Butler 25-1
Villanova 12-1 W. Virginia 25-1
Arizona 15-1 Virginia 30-1

http://www.espn.com/chalk/story/_/i...-early-favorites-win-2018-men-ncaa-tournament

that's basically popularity contest. Vegas are enjoying insanely bad odds for bettors.

 

[St.PatterSoN-54-]

Your anti-agenda agenda is starting to piss me off.

I hope you're kidding. If you really believe there's an agenda to putting UK at the top of a 'way too early poll' as a way to discredit UK if we somehow fall short next season, you'd better readjust your tin hat...

 

[DCFseattle]

I hope you're kidding.

I had hoped it would be obvious.
"Anti-agenda agenda"... C'mon...

 

[LineSkiCat14]

Is aw this, and was kinda surprised to see Kentucky #1. Meanwhile, Arizona doesn't even crack the top10?? ESPN really thinks they are losing more players though, so that's why they got that ranking.

Kentucky's #1 ranking is due to the last line.. Everyone is losing a lot this year. Many teams are in rebuild mode including UNC, Duke, Kansas.. WHen everyone is in rebuilding mode, are you going to bet against the team that does it so well, with the #1 class?

 

[railroadkat_1]

I like UK ranked number 1 at the end of the year. Top 5 is nice. I know we will have a great team coach Cal is assembling for the 2017-2018 season. When you are #1 you have only one place to go. To me it means something but the SEC will be tough next season and we always play a quality out of conference schedule. Stay in the top four and grab a I seed in the NCAA Dance. We are always in the committee's hands!

 

[LineSkiCat14]

Preseason #1 is VERY important.. Not sure why people don't think so. You have much more wiggle room, and you can sustain the most amount of loses (or struggles) before you drop out of the top25.

Seeing as how we get hosed 6 ways from Sunday.. give us preseason #1 and we have SOMEWHAT of a benefit over everyone else.