by Paul Jordan
A couple of pundits have released their way too early look at the basketball rankings for next season, and even with or without Terrence Jones, Kadeem Jack, Eloy Vargas, or the other half dozen PF possibilities, Kentucky finds itself in a pretty solid place for next year. I have always been of the belief that while John Calipari may not contend for a title every season, he should have Kentucky in the Sweet 16 every season. The latest pre-season rankings seem to validate that point.
Luke Winn from SI.com has Kentucky currently ranked at number 12 and in doing so, has them as the early SEC leader, as only Florida was in his top 25, at number 18. It’s interesting to note that the KenMemphis Tigercats with the number one recruiting class and in a weaker conference are in at number 25. Here is what Winn had to say about Kentucky:
Now that the draft entries are all public — with Wildcats John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, Patrick Patterson, Daniel Orton and Eric Bledsoe all NBA-bound, and likely to be selected in that order in the first round — there’s only one semi-major thing left to be decided: the college destination of Portland, Ore., forward Terrence Jones. He committed to Washington in a press conference 10 days ago — not because he had solidly decided on the Huskies, but because he had scheduled the press conference and felt compelled to announce some kind of decision. After speaking with UK coach John Calipari on the phone a few minutes later, Jones wasn’t so sure of his choice anymore, and essentially re-opened his recruitment. He told the Oregonian last week he was still “committed” to Washington but not ready to sign a Letter of Intent. UW fans are understandably up in arms over perceived meddling by Calipari, but if Jones truly did just choose a hat at the press conference for the sake of choosing a hat, then I don’t think it’s wrong for Calipari to at least ask him to take more time to think. My prediction? Jones takes another week, sticks with Washington, and gets nasty Tweets from Kentucky fans who’ll forget about him by November, when Turkish rookie Enes Kanter has his first 20-point game.
That’s right, Luke. Only Kentucky fans send nasty texts to Terrence Jones.
Andy Katz from ESPN is a bit more SEC-friendly, with Florida at #10, Kentucky at #13, Tennessee at #18, and the Georgia Bulldogs (whaaaaaa?) at #25. It goes without saying that the SEC East will be a beast. Here is what Mr. Katz had to say about our beloved Cats:
13. Kentucky: This could be a reach. I don’t dispute that argument. John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, Patrick Patterson, Eric Bledsoe and Daniel Orton are all gone. You might be asking why I’m not punting Kentucky from my top 25 all together? Well, the recent history of UK and that of John Calipari at Memphis tells us not to assume demise when a reshuffling of talent occurs. Sure there is a talent drop off, but the return of key role players like Darius Miller and DeAndre Liggins and a stellar recruiting class led by Brandon Knight, Enes Kanter (assuming he doesn’t run into a major suspension for amateur issues), Stacey Poole and Doron Lamb means the Cats will be able to compete with any team in the country. The newcomers don’t have as much star power as this past season’s freshman class, but the talent is still headline quality. Kanter is the key. If he is good to go by SEC play at the latest, Big Blue should be right in the thick of the race.
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