NCAA Basketball: Preseason top 25 power rankings for 2023-24 season

16. Kentucky Wildcats

2022-23 season record: 22-12 (12-6 SEC)

Kentucky always loses a ton of production each offseason and the past few months weren’t different. Former National Player of the Year big man Oscar Tshiebwe went pro, along with Jacon Toppin, Chris Livingston, and Cason Wallace. And several others also transferred out. It was a long process to get this current roster together and there’s still a question as to whether 7’2 Croatian freshman center Zvonimir Ivisic will get admitted to the University as of this writing.

That’s important to note because the Wildcats’ two other centers on the roster, Ugonna Onyenso, and five-star freshman Aaron Bradshaw, are both recovering from foot injuries. Both are expected to be ready for the season-opener but who knows how effective they’ll be. It’s a good thing they were able to land one frontcourt transfer this offseason in Tre Mitchell, a double-digit stretch forward from West Virginia.

Kentucky also has back Antonio Reeves, the SEC 6th Man of the Year last season. The 6’6 wing averaged 14.4 ppg and shot 40% from three-point range and when he was starting, was putting up huge numbers at the end of last season. He’s the lone veteran on the backcourt that features five-star combo guards, Robert Dillingham and DJ Wagner. Reed Sheppard will provide some needed shooting, while both Adou Thiero and five-star forward Justin Edwards are versatile two-way contributors.

There’s a lot of talent on this roster on paper. However, the Wildcats are still going to be very young compared to the rest of the top teams in NCAA Basketball. If any of the freshmen breaks out into true national stars and potential top NBA Draft picks, expect them to rise up the rankings in short order once the season gets going.