Kentucky cracks Top 10 of some Way-Too-Early Rankings — and Jayden Quaintance isn’t even factored in

With the 2024-25 college basketball season now officially over, pundits aren’t wasting time looking ahead. As is the tradition on the morning after the national championship game, a fresh set of “Way Too Early” rankings for the 2025-26 season dropped, and Kentucky is in the top 20 of all of them.

Even though Kentucky’s roster is far from finalized, the national media is high on the Wildcats. Our On3 colleague James Fletcher III has the Cats the highest, at No. 4, while The Athletic’s CJ Moore has them the lowest at No. 18. No. 16 seems to be the sweet spot for Kentucky, although that will change as the Cats and other teams add or lose players from the transfer portal and to the NBA Draft.

Houston is the consensus No. 1 team in the preseason rankings, with Purdue and Duke also near the top. Louisville is as high as No. 3 in Jeff Borzello and Mike DeCourcy’s rankings after an impressive offseason so far. DeCourcey also has Arkansas No. 2, so make of it what you will.

**NOTE: All of the rankings below came out BEFORE the news that Jayden Quaintance is transferring to Kentucky broke at 10 a.m., so you can probably bump the Cats up a few spots in each.

On3’s James Fletcher III: No. 4

Kentucky will get back a couple of key pieces from the roster, which promise to complement a huge recruiting class and plenty of talented transfers. Mark Pope overachieved in Year One and could enter the season as a top contender with the level of talent set to join the roster.

ESPN’s Jeff Borzello: No. 6

Kentucky could be loaded on the perimeter next season, with the arrivals of transfers Jaland Lowe (Pitt) and Kam Williams (Tulane), as well as top-25 prospects Jasper Johnson and Acaden Lewis. That’s on top of the potential returns of leading scorer Otega Oweh and rotation players Collin Chandler and Travis Perry. Mark Pope needs more options up front, but Monday’s commitment from Alabama transfer Mouhamed Dioubate gives the Wildcats some toughness and versatility.

Projected starting lineup:

Jaland Lowe (16.8 PPG at Pitt)
Jasper Johnson (No. 17 in ESPN 100)
Otega Oweh (16.2 PPG)
Mouhamed Dioubate (7.2 PPG at Alabama)
Brandon Garrison (5.9 PPG)

The Sporting News’ Mike DeCourcy: No. 9

2025 season: 24-12 NCAA Sweet 16

Overview: The Wildcats need some more significant additions, but point guard Jalad Lowe is a nice addition to Otega Oweh on the perimeter and Brandon Garrison inside.

Jon Rothstein: No. 15

Projected Starting 5:

• G Jaland Lowe
• G Collin Chandler
• G Otega Oweh
• F Mouhamed Dioubate
• C Brandon Garrison

Projected Bench: Trent Noah, Jasper Johnson, Travis Perry, Malachi Moreno, Kam Williams, Acaden Lewis

Key Newcomers: Jasper Johnson, Malachi Moreno, Acaden Lewis, Kam Williams (Tulane), Jaland Lowe (Pitt), Mouhamed Dioubate (Alabama)

Key Losses: Lamont Butler, Koby Brea, Andrew Carr, Amari Williams, Jaxson Robinson

John Fanta: No. 16

USA Today panel: No. 16

The rebuild for Mark Pope will be much easier after having to replace the entire roster before his first season. Otega Oweh led the team in scoring (16.2 ppg), and his return would make the transition to Year 2 smoother. Pope has already landed Kam Williams (Tulane) from the transfer portal to provide perimeter scoring. Five-star recruits Jasper Johnson and Malachi Moreno should have an immediate impact on the perimeter and frontcourt, respectively.

Sports Illustrated’s Kevin Sweeney: No. 16

This time last year, Kentucky had zero returning players and coach Mark Pope was facing a massive rebuild. That Pope stuck the landing and lifted the Wildcats to a No. 3 seed in the NCAA tournament and a trip to the Sweet 16 is a major endorsement of his coaching chops. He’ll have to flip the roster some this spring, but at least Pope has a star to fall back on in Otega Oweh, who averaged over 16 points per game in his first year in Lexington, Ky. Pitt transfer Jaland Lowe could solidify the point guard spot. 

The Athletic’s CJ Moore: No. 18

Projected starters: Jaland Lowe (transfer) Jasper Johnson (freshman), Otega Oweh, Kam Williams (transfer), Brandon Garrison
Notable returners: Collin Chandler, Trent Noah, Travis Perry
Other newcomers: Malachi Moreno, Acaden Lewis, Mouhamed Dioubate (transfer)

Mark Pope loves to play through his fours and fives on the perimeter, using those guys to initiate the zoom actions and finding cutters. Brandon Garrison has at least played in the system for a year, but there was a drop-off when he came on the floor and Amari Williams took a seat. It’ll be interesting to see whether Pope makes any stylistic changes to his offense based on the personnel.

Jaland Lowe is much more of a ball-dominant guard than Lamont Butler was, and maybe we’ll see a higher frequency of ball screens with Lowe at point guard. While Pope has plenty of depth already, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him try to add a few veterans. This is a much younger roster than his first one. The Cats likely will not be as good early as they were last year, but there will probably be more in-season growth, because last year’s group came pretty ready-made, despite an offseason of changes.

Consensus men's basketball way-too-early Top 25 rankings for 2025-26: pic.twitter.com/vD6O8muGXY

— Heat Check CBB (@HeatCheckCBB) April 8, 2025