Kentucky MBB soars in ESPN's latest "Way-Too-Early" Top 25

Roughly two weeks ago, Kentucky was knocked completely out of ESPN’s “Way-Too-Early” Top 25 preseason rankings. The reasoning, according to staff writer Jeff Borzello, was due to the (understandable) confusion surrounding the state of the roster at the time. Antonio Reeves‘ status was still up in, Bob Huggins was still the head coach at West Virginia, and news of Aaron Bradshaw‘s mysterious foot injury was a major cause for concern.

But that was two weeks ago. As things stand on Wednesday, July 5, head coach John Calipari has pieced together a roster that brings about reason for optimism within the Big Blue Nation. Reeves is officially back in the fold, 6-foot-9 stretch forward Tre Mitchell transferred to UK by way of the Mountaineers, and Bradshaw’s timeline for a return might not be as long as previously thought.

Suddenly, Kentucky’s outlook for the upcoming 2023-24 season doesn’t look so bleak. Borzello agrees, too. In his most recent update of ESPN’s “Way-Too-Early” Top 25, which was released on Wednesday morning, Borzello bumped the Wildcats up from unranked all the way to No. 17. For what it’s worth, he projects a starting lineup consisting of DJ Wagner, Reeves, Justin Edwards, Mitchell, and Ugonna Onyenso.

While questions remain over the experience and youth of this season’s squad, there are no doubts about the talent level in Lexington. In ESPN’s 2024 mock draft, released late last month, the Wildcats have two of the four highest-ranked college players (Justin Edwards, D.J. Wagner) and five players (Edwards, Wagner, Ugonna Onyenso, Aaron Bradshaw, Robert Dillingham) ranked inside the top 40 overall. If the newcomers can get on the same page, Calipari is spoiled for options.

Jeff Borzello, ESPN

It’s funny how the perception of a team can change so quickly, especially in this new age of the modified transfer portal. Kentucky is still going to be dependent on freshmen — there are seven on the roster, after all — but Reeves and Mitchell bring a necessary veteran presence. Breakout seasons from sophomores Adou Thiero and Onyenso could raise the Wildcats’ ceiling even higher.

There is plenty of reason to be excited about what lies ahead. It all starts next week in Canada.

ESPN’s “Way-Too-Early” Top 25 preseason rankings (July 5 update)

1. Kansas
2. Duke
3. Purdue
4. Michigan State
5. UConn
6. Tennessee
7. Houston
8. Gonzaga
9. Florida Atlantic
10. Marquette
11. Arizona
12. San Diego State
13. Creighton
14. Arkansas
15. North Carolina
16. Villanova
17. Kentucky (unranked)
18. Miami-FL (-1)
19. Texas A&M
20. Baylor
21. Southern California
22. Alabama (-4)
23. Saint Mary’s (-1)
24. Texas
25. Colorado (-2)