Kentucky tops pre-season coaches poll, Arizona second

To the surprise of few, the Kentucky Wildcats will kick-off the season as the #1 ranked team in the land, landing in the top spot in the USA Today coaches poll.

The trio of Arizona, Duke, and Wisconsin – who follow Kentucky, in that order – along with Kentucky, are thought to be a step above most of the competition heading into the season.

Sean Miller pieced together the 4th overall recruiting class for Arizona, but will rely on the talent he has returning as well, which is a stark contrast to both Kentucky and Duke, who will have heavy freshmen impact. Duke most notably will have the duo of Jahlil Okafor and Tyus Jones, both top five recruits, to help replace the production of Jabari Parker, who entered the draft last spring.

Kentucky, who made it to the national title game last April, enjoyed a few surprise returnees in Willie Cauley-Stein and the Harrison twins while also sporting the 2nd ranked recruiting class according to Rivals. Talent-wise, no team is better than the Wildcats this season. However, it’s a matter of harnessing that talent and making sure each player contributes to the best of their ability.

Wisconsin will rely on veteran leadership as well, returning four starters from a squad that reached the Final Four last season. Frank Kaminsky and Sam Dekker will be the focal points for the Badgers this season, who were named as the unanimous favorite to win the Big Ten earlier in the day.

Kansas, UNC, Florida, Virginia, Louisville, and Texas round out the top ten.