Field of 68 says Kentucky owns No. 16 backcourt in CBB -- behind Arkansas and Louisville

We like our team in Lexington, there’s no denying that. For how quickly things came together for Mark Pope and the Wildcats this spring, Kentucky is sitting pretty entering the start of this new era in 2024-25. It’s a group with both talent and experience — heavy emphasis on the latter — in a system that maximizes pace and shot volume. Perfect for a roster with plenty of shooters.

Where does the team stack up nationally, though? That part is complicated, mostly because none of these guys have ever played together before. It all sounds great on paper and could really work if the puzzle pieces fit perfectly, but you never know until you know. That’s how you get preseason rankings all over the place — one national outlet had Kentucky finishing ninth overall in the SEC a few weeks back.

How about a new one? The Field of 68 is releasing its top 20 backcourts in college basketball and included the Wildcats. That’s the good news. The bad news? It’s ranked toward the back end of that list at No. 16 overall, coming in behind the likes of Arkansas (No. 12) and Louisville (No. 15).

On the flip side, Kentucky is ahead of back-to-back national champions UConn, along with Arizona, Ole Miss and Texas to close out the list.

The Wildcats’ backcourt includes Jaxson Robinson, Kerr Kriisa, Koby Brea, Lamont Butler, Otega Oweh, Collin Chandler, Travis Perry and Trent Noah. That’s competing with the likes of Johnell Davis, Karter Knox, Boogie Fland, DJ Wagner and Billy Richmond for Arkansas and Chucky Hepburn, Terrence Edwards, Koren Johnson, Reyne Smith, Kudir Traore and J’Vonne Hadley for Louisville.

Take a look at the top 11-20 released Tuesday:

It’s hard to get a complete read on the national grade until we see the top 10, but we do know where the Cats stack up among some high-profile peers and rivals.

What do you think, Big Blue Nation? Fair or foul?