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Kentucky earns a top-10 ranking in preseason AP poll

They will face a real guantlet of ranked teams though.
ByDrew Holbrook|
Kentucky fans cheer as the Wildcats crowd around forward Trent Noah (9) after his three-point shooting display at the 2025 Big Blue Madness at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025.
Kentucky fans cheer as the Wildcats crowd around forward Trent Noah (9) after his three-point shooting display at the 2025 Big Blue Madness at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025. | Matt Stone/The Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Today marked the official release of the Associated Press preseason Top 25, and that means one thing, it’s almost basketball time again in the Bluegrass. After a fall defined by football frustrations, Big Blue Nation finally has something to rally around. Mark Pope’s second Kentucky team has earned a spot among the nation’s elite, checking in at No. 9 in the country.

It’s a well-earned position for a roster that blends talent, experience, and hunger, three ingredients Kentucky fans have been craving for years. The Wildcats will make their full scrimmage debut this Friday night in the Blue-White Scrimmage at Memorial Coliseum after a five minute scrimmage at Big Blue Madness.

The full AP preseason top 25

Here’s where Kentucky stands alongside college basketball’s best as the 2024–25 season looms:

  1. Purdue (24–12) - Season opener: Nov. 4 vs. Evansville
  2. Houston (35–5) - Season opener: Nov. 3 vs. Lehigh
  3. Florida (36–4) - Season opener: Nov. 3 vs. Arizona
  4. UConn (24–11) - Season opener: Nov. 3 vs. New Haven
  5. St. John’s (31–5) - Season opener: Nov. 3 vs. Quinnipiac
  6. Duke (35–4) - Season opener: Nov. 4 vs. Texas
  7. Michigan (27–10) - Season opener: Nov. 3 vs. Oakland
  8. BYU (26–10) - Season opener: Nov. 3 vs. Villanova
  9. Kentucky (24–12) - Season opener: Nov. 4 vs. Nicholls
  10. Texas Tech (28–9) - Season opener: Nov. 4 vs. Lindenwood
  11. Louisville (27–8) - Season opener: Nov. 3 vs. South Carolina State
  12. UCLA (23–11) - Season opener: Nov. 3 vs. Eastern Washington
  13. Arizona (24–13) - Season opener: Nov. 3 vs. Florida
  14. Arkansas (22–14) - Season opener: Nov. 3 vs. Southern
  15. Alabama (28–9) - Season opener: Nov. 3 vs. North Dakota
  16. Iowa State (25–10) - Season opener: Nov. 3 vs. Fairleigh Dickinson
  17. Illinois (22–13) - Season opener: Nov. 3 vs. Jackson State
  18. Tennessee (30–8) - Season opener: Nov. 3 vs. Mercer
  19. Kansas (21–13) - Season opener: Nov. 3 vs. Green Bay
  20. Auburn (32–6) - Season opener: Nov. 3 vs. Bethune-Cookman
  21. Gonzaga (26–9) - Season opener: Nov. 3 vs. Texas Southern
  22. Michigan State (19–16) - Season opener: Nov. 3 vs. Colgate
  23. Creighton (25–11) - Season opener: Nov. 5 vs. South Dakota
  24. Wisconsin (27–10) - Season opener: Nov. 3 vs. Campbell
  25. North Carolina (23–14) - Season opener: Nov. 3 vs. Central Arkansas

A gauntlet awaits

For Kentucky, the schedule ahead is loaded with opportunities to prove it belongs. Before SEC play even begins, the Wildcats will face five other ranked teams: No. 5 St. John’s, No. 22 Michigan State, No. 11 Louisville, No. 25 North Carolina, and No. 21 Gonzaga.

Then comes the SEC gauntlet, where five more conference rivals also sit in the Top 25. It’s a proving ground and a chance to reset the standard. And more than anything, it’s almost basketball time again in Kentucky finally.

Drew Holbrook is an avid Kentucky fan who has been covering the Cats for over 10 years. In his free time he enjoys downtime with his family and Premier League soccer. You can find him on X here. Micah 7:7. #UptheAlbion

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